Fear of Blood creates a fear of Flesh
by fullmoon71383
Summary: A Smallville/Silent Hill crossover story. Also a slash story with Lex/Clark as the pairing with Chloe along for the ride. Lana runs off to Silent Hill to discover her past. Clark, Chloe, and Lex chase after her and horror ensues. CLEX. ***STARTED WRITING AGAIN, PLEASE REVIEW***
1. Prologue

Fear of Blood creates a fear of Flesh

**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or Silent Hill or any of the characters affiliated with them. This is purely for entertainment. Smallville and its characters are owned by W.B. and Silent Hill is owned by Konomi. This partly follows the plot of the movie and plot of the game. This is an AU fanfiction with an established relationship between Clark and Lex. It's set before season 4, and the bit were Lana found out Mr. Small was her real father never happened. For the purposes of the story the part of Alessa and Lana have been merged. If you like it please tell, me. If you hate it, please go easy on me this is my first time. Write a review or let me know what you think by writing me at .com. Enjoy**

Prologue:

Chloe Sullivan paced back in forth in the small living room of her apartment. She was trying to decide what to do about a certain friend that had gone missing. One Lana Lang had disappeared four days ago and Chloe had been unable to reach her. The windows of her living room had been left open as summer had not completely faded away in Kansas. But with the setting of the sun a chilly autumn breeze was beginning to seep into the room. Tendrils of cold air wafted through the space like icy fingers. As Chloe paced the length of the room she mentally went over the events of the last few days. Earlier that week she had scheduled some girlfriend time with her best gal pal, and then had been surprised when, Lana had uncharacteristically stood her up. It wasn't like Lana to pull a no call, no show. But, Chloe had simply chalked the incident up to Lana's sometimes flighty memory. She had shrugged it off and vowed to stop by the next morning for coffee and slight verbal lashing for Lana's carelessness. However, when Chloe had stopped by Lana's apartment above the Talon the next morning Lana hadn't answered the door. Chloe gave her a quick ring on her cell phone but it went straight to voice mail.

At that point Chloe began to wonder if Lana had been upset with her over some unnoticed slight. It seemed that whatever Lana was up to she wanted to be undisturbed. After a few minutes of hanging around Chloe decided to just go home and try calling Lana later. Throughout the rest of that day Chloe left several messages on Lana's cell phone urging her to call Chloe as soon as she could. By day three with still no word from Lana, Chloe began to worry. She had a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was not right. She hopped into her car and headed straight back over to Lana's apartment. She found the spare key that Lana had hidden in case she was ever locked out of the apartment and opened the door. From the state of the apartment Chloe could tell that wherever Lana had gone, she'd left in a hurry. Dirty dishes were piled in the sink, mail had piled up under the mail slot, and some food that had been left out was beginning to mold. Chloe walked through into Lana's bedroom and found it in disarray as well. The closet door was wide open and clothes were scattered all over the floor.

There didn't seem to be any signs of foul-play or that Lana had been taken by force, so Chloe had to assume that Lana's sudden take off had been of her own accord. As she was about to turn and leave, she noticed a spray of papers on the bed. She sat down and began sifting through them. They seemed to be legal documents of some kind. Then one page in particular caught her eye and she stared at the header in shock. **Toluca County Orphanage** stared back at her in bold letters. "Adoption papers?" She said aloud. In fact that's exactly what they were. The documents were the standard papers any parent has to fill out when adopting a child. Chloe flipped through the papers until she reached the final clause that the adopties have to sign. The signature of Mr. and Mrs. Lang was right there in black ink on the line. Chloe's mind began to whirl. Mr. and Mrs. Lang were not Lana's birth parents. Lana had been an orphan before the meteor shower that eventually killed her adoptive parents. Chloe felt a tug on her heart as she thought of what Lana must have felt when she'd found these documents. But who could have sent them to her? Were her birth parents trying to contact her? Chloe noticed a manila envelope resting beside the documents. She picked it up to read the address. Unfortunately there was no return address written on it. Whoever had sent these documents to Lana had wished to remain anonymous. But why? Chloe was beyond puzzled, but then the next stack of papers on Lana's bed made the confusion worse.

She riffled through them and a frown creased her brow. "Silent Hill?" She said as she scanned the contents of the page. It appeared to be printed off of a website. Silent Hill the town time forgot, the title read. It appeared the Silent Hill was a town that had been abandoned since the late seventies. And, it was located in Toluca County, West Virginia, the same county as the orphanage that Lana had been adopted from. The rest of the article went on to say that a fire had broken out in the town and had spread to the coal mines that had been the source of the town's industry. The fire had raged so out of control that most of the citizen's perished in the first few hours or were never found in the burnt wreckage. The town had to be evacuated for good because the coal mines had caught fire and began spewing toxic fumes. According to the article the fires were still raging below the streets of the ghost town as the firefighters could do nothing about putting out the coal mines. The gnawing feeling in Chloe's stomach began to grow as a horrible thought occurred to her. What if Lana had taken off to this Silent Hill in the hopes that she might be able to locate her birth parents?

Chloe couldn't really blame Lana for getting her hopes up after receiving the documents in the mail. After all Mr. and Mrs. Lang had been killed when Lana was just a little girl. Perhaps this was Lana's chance and having a family again. But, there was something not right about all of this. If the town was such a hazard why would Lana rush off to it? Chloe noticed that Lana's laptop had been left behind. Normally she wouldn't snoop through Lana's private matters, but this time she was willing to make an exception. She opened it and pressed the power button to wake it out of sleep mode. When the screen flickered back to life Chloe's suspicions were confirmed. The internet browser had been left running and the website open. It was a set of driving directions to Toluca County, West Virginia. The directions on the map seemed to dead end into and old county road though. Chloe searched through the history on the browser and found a link to the Toluca County archives website. She was able to pull up a map of Silent Hill from 1953. The country road that seemed to dead end on the Map Quest site lined up perfectly with the road leading into Silent Hill.

There was no doubt in Chloe's mind that Lana had indeed taken off to the town of Silent Hill. Chloe gathered up the papers on the town and the adoption papers and slipped them into her canvas bag along with the envelope. She then closed the screen of Lana's laptop and carried it with her as she exited the apartment. She locked the door behind her and slid the key into her bag as well. Her mind was racing. She didn't know if Lana was making a wise decision by gallivanting off to some condemned town on her own. But, then again Lana must not have been thinking clearly. As Chloe got back into her car she reached for the cell phone in her pocket. She pulled up Clark on the speed dial but her finger hesitated over the connect button for a moment. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe Lana hadn't gone to Silent Hill at all. What if she went to the Toluca County Orphanage? Or, what if she was just hanging around Toluca County trying to find out what happened to the survivors of Silent Hill? Though even if she was overreacting she thought Clark should know about it. After all Clark was just as close to Lana as she was. Or, at least he had been until Lex came into the picture.

Lately Clark had been spending a lot of time with the boy wonder billionaire Lex Luthor. The two of them had been friends for a couple of years after Lex had smashed his luxury sports car right into Clark sending them both off a bridge and into a river. However, thanks to fact that Clark was an invulnerable, super strong alien, he was able to get out of the incident without so much as a scratch and rescue Lex, who would have drowned. From that moment on the Clark and Lex had started a friendship that only got deeper as time went on. Chloe and there other mutual friend Pete had been put out by this a bit. But when Clark had finally shared his secret about his extraterrestrial origin, she felt like she was back on the inside of his private life. That would not be the only revelation that Clark would lay on her. The next one, oh by the way I'm a gay alien, and oh yeah I'm in love with Lex Luthor, had been more difficult to swallow then his super strength, x-ray vision, heat vision, super speed, and invulnerability. The irony of that was not lost on Chloe.

Chloe was hesitant to give Clark the thumbs up about revealing his secret to Lex and the tender affections he was harboring for him, but once Clark put his mind to something it was almost impossible to get him to change it. More shocking than any revelation Clark had laid on her was that Lex not only accepted Clark's secret with sublime equanimity, but he also shared the budding feelings of romance. From that day on they became even more inseparable. Chloe began to feel on the out again after than but decided not to begrudge her best friend some of lifes simple pleasures like falling in love for the first time. And when you have a boyfriend like Lex Luthor, the world is your oyster. But, Lana was still one of Clark's closest friends. It looked like Chloe would have to interrupt his euphoria. She finally pressed the connect button and began ringing Clark. It ran three times before Clark answered.

"Hey Chloe, what's up?" Clark said over the phone in his usual jovial manner. The caller ID had let him know that it was her before he'd picked up the phone.

"Clark!" Chloe said in a tone more desperate than she had intended. "I think something has happed to Lana. I haven't heard from her in four days, her apartment is empty and her car is gone. I think she's run off to some abandoned town but I'm not sure." Chloe's words were coming out in a torrent and she had to breathe to calm herself down. "I have bad feeling about this Clark." She said and waited for his response.

"Chloe calm down." Clark said as concern rose in his voice. "Now what are you talking about?"

"Look Clark." She said as she started up her car's engine. "Meet me at my apartment as soon as you can, and bring Lex with you, he might be able to help. I don't know exactly what's going on but I have this gnawing feeling that Lana is in trouble."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Clark said. Chloe could hear the sounds on his end of the line that sounded like he was getting up to get to his car.

"Good." Chloe said and then rang off. The sun was only a few hours from setting as Chloe made her way back to her apartment on the other side of town. The shadows of twilight began to stretch across the town of Smallville. Normally Chloe would have found it peaceful, but the worry knotting inside her caused the pink and orange glow of the sky to look more ominous than tranquil.

And now here she was pacing in her living room waiting for Clark and Lex to arrive. The chill beginning to permeate the room caused her to shudder and she moved to close the window before the room got too cold. She pulled on a jacket and sat down on the couch. She absentminded began wringing her hands in anticipation of what she was going to tell Clark and Lex. A moment later she heard a knock at the front door. She moved quickly to answer and swung the door open for Clark and Lex to enter.

"Thanks." She said as they entered into her modest apartment. "Another minute and I thought I was going to have a panic attack."

Clark stepped into the living room and turned around to face Chloe. He wore his usual jeans, t-shirt, boots and heavy brown jacket. His eyes showed genuine concern as he spoke.

"Okay Chloe what is this all about?" he said. "What makes you think Lana is in trouble?"

Lex hovered by the door uncertain what to say. He and Chloe had never exchanged many words, and he was wondering if he should really be involved. After all, in truth Lex had never been very fond of Lana. Once, Clark had thought he'd had a crush on Lana, but soon discovered his affections for men, and his affections for Lex. Though, Lex still saw Lana as a little competition.

"Both of you sit down and I'll explain." Chloe said motioning to the two chairs facing the couch before she sat back down.

Clark and Lex too their respective seats and Chloe opened up her canvas bag and began unloading the contents. She began reiterating the events of the last few days as she spread out some of the papers on her coffee table.

"So four days ago Lana and I were supposed to hang out, but she never showed and she never called. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but, after leaving tons of voicemails and then stopping by her apartment I knew something was up. I used the spare key and got in. Guys, wherever she went she was in a hurry, the apartment is a wreck. And, I found all these papers on her bed." She handed the stack of legal documents to Lex and the stack of papers on the town to Clark.

"Adoption papers?" Lex asked confusion thick in his voice. "I thought Lana's parents were killed in the meteor shower that brought Clark here?"

"They were, but it seems that Mr. and Mrs. Lang were not Lana's birth parents." Chloe said in answer to his question. "It looks like someone sent her the adoption papers in the mail in this envelope." She pulled the manila envelope from her bag to show him. "No return address."

Lex reached out to take the envelope to see the address of Lana Lang, Smallville, with nothing to indicate where the papers had come from or who had sent them. Then Clark piped up with his own question.

"What's Silent Hill?" He asked looking to Chloe, a frown creasing his brow.

"That's where I think she went." Chloe said looking from Lex to Clark. "Silent Hill is in Toluca County, it's possible that Silent Hill is the town she was born in. And, it looks like Lana pulled as much research on the town as she could before she left."

"Well what's the problem?" Lex asked. "I mean, so Lana discovered she might not be an orphan. Are you really going to begrudge her a chance at meeting her real parents? Why are you so worried about her going to this Silent Hill?"

"Because." Clark said "According to this article the town has been abandoned." He flipped through the pages in his hands. "Apparently it's a hazard zone. And, it's been shut down since the late seventies."

"Exactly." Chloe said. "There was a fire that consumed nearly the entire town and killed over half the populace. And then once the fire spread to the coal mines under the town the air became toxic. So, if Lana has gone to Silent Hill, she could be walking into a disaster zone."

It was Lex's turn to frown. "I still don't see why you think she's run off to Silent Hill. This isn't exactly proof." He said as he set his stack of papers down on the coffee table.

Chloe was ready for that rebuttal. She pulled out Lana's laptop and opened the screen. She brought the computer back out of sleep mode and when the screen came back to life she turned it around to show Clark and Lex the website that was still up.

"This website has driving directions to Toluca County. And the directions dead end on an old country road. Now I looked up that road on a map from the county archives. The abandoned country road lines up perfectly with the old road into Silent Hill." She said as she glanced back and forth between two of them. "If she's not there I defy you to tell me where else she is."

"Okay wait a minute." Lex said brining up his hands in a gesture for Chloe to calm down. "Say Lana didn't go rushing off to this ghost town. Suppose she's just going to West Virginia to see if she can find out if her birth parents are still alive and where they might be living now. Lana might be young but she's not prone to pulling foolhardy stunts like wandering into a hazard zone."

Lex had a point, but, Lana had also been known to act rashly when her emotions were running high.

"Think about how Lana must be feeling right now Lex." Chloe said looking him dead in the eyes. "She just found out that the parents she thought were hers were actually just adoptive parents. Practically everything she ever knew about her past is a lie. Now throw in the mix the possibility of finding your real parents and the mystery of a town that may or may not be your birth place. Chances are she wasn't thinking when she ran off."

"Chloe's right." Clark said looking up from the papers in his hand. He turned to Lex and continued. "I mean come on Lex, put yourself in Lana's shoes, what would you have done?"

Lex chose not to answer, as he was sure neither Chloe nor Clark would have liked it. He simply sighed and pulled out his cellphone. Chloe's eyes shot to his phone as he flipped it open.

"Lex what are you doing." She said a slight edge in her tone.

"Calling the police." He said in response. "We need to file a missing persons report."

Before Lex could dial Chloe bounded off the couch and snatched the cellphone from his hand.

"Wait Lex, no I don't think that's a good idea." She said as she backed away from him, his cellphone clutched in her hands.

"Chloe what's gotten into you?" Lex said in an annoyed tone. "If Lana is in potential danger we need to alert the authorities."

Chloe held out a hand to stop Lex from getting up from his chair to take the cellphone back. "Lex, I'm not sure we should tell anyone else about this."

Lex cocked an eyebrow at her and she sighed before continuing. "Look, Lana's probably not in the right frame of mind right now. She could scared, confused, lost, or panicked. I don't think involving the police would make it any better. The last thing she needs right now is a troupe of officers chasing after her while she's trying to figure out what's happened to her parents."

"So what are you suggesting?" Lex asked.

"Well." Chloe said as she returned to the couch. "I think we should go after her."

"Pardon me?" Lex asked giving her an exasperated look. "You want us to go across the country to some remote part of West Virginia to chase after a girl that may or may not be traipsing through a ghost town?"

"I think she needs friends more than she needs law enforcement." Chloe said resolutely

Clark who had been silent during Chloe and Lex's exchange spoke up. "I agree." He put a hand on Lex's knee. "Lex, if we go involving the police this could get out of hand, and Chloe's right about Lana's state. If she's fragile, the cops could just make the situation worse."

"Oh Clark come on." Lex said turning to face his lover. "What makes us more qualified to locate her than the police? And, besides if we don't report this Lana could end up in more trouble than she already is, supposedly." Lex added the last part because he wasn't convinced yet that Lana had really gone off to Silent Hill.

"We know her better, and we could convince her come home, or at the very least help her search." Chloe interjected before Clark could answer.

Lex looked from Clark back to Chloe and then back to Clark again. "You two are serious about this aren't you?" He asked.

"Absolutely." Chloe said still clutching Lex's cellphone in her hands.

"Lex, I think this is the best way, and to tell the truth I feel a little responsible." Clark said as he ran a hand through his dark locks. "I mean, I've been so wrapped up in, us that I forgot to pay attention to the people around me that I care about. Maybe if I had noticed that something was wrong sooner Lana wouldn't have rushed off."

Lex let his face relax and took Clark's hand in his. It was true that the two of them had been very involved with one another lately, but that's what happened with new love. He realized that there was no way to talk Chloe and Clark out of this rescue mission. "What about your parents? What are you going to tell them?"

"They're out of town for another couple of days at a tri county market. I think I'll leave them a note, to be honest I don't want to have to explain too much about what we're doing. Hopefully they won't be too mad." Clark said as he shrugged.

_Yeah fat chance_, Lex thought. He sighed again and held out his other hand to Chloe. "Can I have my cellphone back now?" He asked.

"Why?" Chloe asked, pulling back a bit into the couch.

"Because I want to phone the airport and tell them to prepare my jet, we can be there in a few hours if we leave now. And, I need to get a hold of my security team, no sense in going in unprepared." He said still holding out his hand.

"Lex have you been listening?" Chloe said refusing to hand over his phone. "We need to do this as simply and with as much stealth as possible. A jet and an entourage would draw too much attention."

"So how do you propose we get there?" Lex said growing more agitated that Chloe would not hand over his phone.

"My truck." Clark said offering up the solution.

Chloe nodded her agreement.

"You expect us to drive cross country in Clark's beater?" Lex asked both eyebrows shooting up.

"That's the best way to avoid any unwanted attention." Chloe said.

"And my truck is not a beater." Clark said as he got up from his chair. "Chloe, when should we leave?"

Chloe looked up at Clark and said. "As soon as possible, though I think we should get some sleep before we head out." She looked at the clock on the wall. "It's 10 pm now, I think we should be on the road by 6 am at the latest."

Lex was about to protest further or make another suggestion, but he realized the futility in that and so he just got up from his own chair, and addressed Chloe. "Alright, alright, have it your way. Now can I have my phone back?"

Chloe hesitated. "Promise you won't call the police or any of your hired goons?" She said in a wary tone.

Lex sighed exasperatedly once more. "Yes damn it!" he said, and held out his hand again. Chloe finally returned the phone to its rightful owner.

"Okay then." She said as she stood up to let Clark and Lex out. "Be back here at 5:30, sharp." She said as the boys headed for the door. "The sooner we go after her the sooner we find her."

Lex went out the door first and as Clark followed behind him he turned back to Chloe. "You don't really think anything bad has happened to her do you?" He asked, his eyes were filled with worry.

"I don't know Clark." She said. "But, something tells me she needs us."

Clark nodded and turned to leave. "I'll see you in the morning." He called over his shoulder.

Chloe closed and locked the front door. She pressed her forehead against the cool wood and drew in a deep breath before exhaling it. She wished could shake the feeling of dread that had come over her but it has seeped into her bones. She turned off the lights as she headed to her bed room and flopped down onto the bed to get some sleep. Somewhere deep inside her, Chloe felt that there was something lurking on the horizon, and it was going to be horrific.

*So that's the prologue, chapter 1 should be up in the next couple of days, I hope you enjoyed it so far.


	2. The Road to Silent Hill

Chapter 1: The road to Silent Hill

The dusty pickup truck rambled down the freeway at a cruising speed of 60 miles per hour. The sky overhead was covered in thick grey clouds, diffusing the light and washing out all the color of the autumn evening. Along the sides of the freeway farmland stretched out as far as the eye could see. The truck was currently making its way through Indiana about to cross the border of Ohio. In the cab behind the wheel sat Clark Kent, extraterrestrial visitor and boyfriend to billionaire boy wonder Lex Luthor. In the passenger seat sat said boy wonder billionaire, staring out the window at the flat colors of the farmland. And, in the small back seat of the cab rode Chloe Sullivan, star reporter of Smallville, and the most worried member of the trio. The three of them had set out on a rescue mission 12 hours ago after a mutual friend, one Lana Lang by name. Lana had disappeared from Smallville five days ago much to the distress of Clark and Chloe. Lex, on the other hand was truthfully only coming along for the ride. Lex had never cared much for Lana, and wasn't even convinced that the rescue mission was necessary.

Chloe, however, was thoroughly convinced that they needed to find Lana and soon. Their only clue was a town that had been abandoned since the late seventies. Silent Hill, a town that time had swallowed seemed to be Lana's intended destination. And, with a five day head start, Chloe was almost certain she would have found it by now. The only reason the trio was attempting this bit of heroism was that Silent Hill had been abandoned for a reason. A fire that had destroyed over half the town and killed over half the population had also spread to the coal mines under the town. Since then a steady flow of toxic fumes had been spilling out on to the streets. According to the rumors that were circulating all over the web, the fires were still raging deep beneath the remains of the homes and streets of the forgotten town. Just 24 hours ago Chloe had convinced Clark and Lex to join her on the road to Silent Hill in order to locate Lana and either help her in any way they could, or bring her back home.

Chloe sipped from the to-go coffee mug she'd purchased from the last gas stationed they'd stopped at. As she drank her coffee she scanned the pages printed from the Silent Hill websites over and over again. She wasn't sure how many times she read the same things over and over, but she wasn't discovering anything new. They all said the same thing. The town was dangerous, the town was in ruins, and then there were some conspiracy theories that some kind of supernatural force had taken over the town. Chloe had seen weird things plenty of times before, but usually they could be explained by science. To her knowledge Chloe had never experienced anything truly supernatural. But, then again anything was possible. The two boys sitting in front of her were certainly proof of that. She decided to take a break from reading over the same information she'd been reading for the last few hours and put the pages back into her canvas bag. It was that moment that Clark decided to break the silence.

"We're crossing the border to Ohio now." He said. "How much longer should it take to reach Toluca County in West Virginia?" He glanced into the rear-view mirror to look at Chloe.

"Another 3 to 4 hours at least." Chloe said in response. "Toluca County is close to the border of Ohio and West Virginia so we should get there around 11pm or midnight." She stretched out a bit to relieve the stiffness in her back. "Maybe there's a motel in a neighboring town that we can stop at when we get close."

Clark nodded and looked back at the road. "Well we have to stop soon to fill up again, and I don't know about you too but I'm starving, we should eat." He said and then looked over at his lover. "What do you think Lex?"

Lex turned his gaze from the window and only nodded his acquiescence. Lex wasn't much in the mood for talking. If he'd had things his way, they wouldn't be driving cross country to retrieve Lana themselves. With his power and money he could have paid a team of insurrectionists to go into Silent Hill and drag Lana out. But Chloe and Clark had set their minds to going after Lana, and Lex was going along to make sure they both stayed out of trouble. Plus, he couldn't very well let the boy he loved run off to some potentially hazardous ghost town without him. Personally Lex was not very fond of Lana, but still he wouldn't want to see any harm come to her. As the setting sun finally dipped below the wall of grey clouds over head causing Lex to squint as it shone into his eyes. He flipped the passenger visor down to block out the orange glow and then returned his gaze to the dismal fields. Absentmindedly his left hand wandered over to rest on Clark's free right hand as it lay on the arm rest. Clark took Lex's hand in his own and gave it an affectionate squeeze. Clark was glad to have Lex coming along, even if it was against Lex's better judgment. Another 15 minutes passed and Clark spotted road signs that advertised a gas station and place to get food.

"Looks like we should make a pit stop." Clark said. "No telling how long before the next exit."

"Sounds like a plan." Chloe said from the back seat. Despite the warmth of the cab, Chloe was still feeling a chill in her bones. She pulled on a corduroy jacket she'd brought along with her and hugged herself tight. It was unexplainable, this uneasy feeling she had, but it was only getting stronger as they continued on their journey. Clark drove the pickup onto the exit ramp and turned in the direction of the gas station and diner. He stopped to fill up his tank first and then pulled into a parking spot at the diner. Once the trio had been seated and ordered 3 coffees Lex decided to speak up.

"I still don't see why we're doing this." He started. "Why can't we just call the police and let them know that Lana is missing? I mean the cops, the fire department, hell, even the National Guard would be more appropriate to handle this."

Chloe sighed and set her menu down. "Lex, we've been over this." She stated. "In Lana's current state, the police would be a very bad idea." She paused to add cream to her coffee. "And consider this, If Lana is in Silent Hill, she would be trespassing. That town has been shut down and quarantined. She could get into a lot of trouble is she's caught there."

"But you're perfectly okay with us breaking the law to go after her?" Lex returned. "And if the air there is toxic what's to stop us from getting sick?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." Chloe said tersely. "This way we can quietly slip in, see if she's there and convince her to come home. And, besides it's been a couple of decades since the fire, the toxins in the air might not be so potent now."

Lex put two fingers to the bridge of his nose and messaged it. He knew any further argument would give him a headache. Clark wrapped an arm around Lex's shoulder to comfort him.

"Lex." He said softly. "I know you don't think this is a good idea, and you're probably right, but, I think this is the best way to handle it."

The waitress stopped by the table to take their dinner orders. After she'd scribbled down each order on her pad and refilled coffees she walked off to hand the order to the cook. Once she was away Chloe lowered her voice and leaned in so as to keep her next statement in confidence.

"There's one other thing." She said. "If anything should go wrong we have Clark." She made a gesture at her best friend. "If he can deflect bullets and melt things with a gaze I'm sure there's nothing in Silent Hill he couldn't handle."

Lex had to admit that having a personal superhero around did ease his tension a little bit. Lex was well aware of Clark's abilities, but he still couldn't approve of their impromptu rescue operation. "Alright." He said. "Have it your way."

Chloe let a small smile come to her lips. She knew that she'd win Lex over. Then Clark looked to her and asked. "Chloe, are you sure about that road that leads to Silent Hill?"

Chloe nodded. "I double checked it against all the maps in the county archives I could pull before we left." She reached into her canvas bag and pulled out a current map of Toluca County without Silent Hill and the vintage map from the 1950's. She pointed out the road in question. "See." She tapped the page for emphasis. "This road goes up a mountain pass, across a bridge and straight into Silent Hill."

"Okay." Clark said and took a slug from his coffee mug. "So, just a few more hours then."

At that moment the waitress returned with their dinner orders. The, ate their dinners in silence. It seemed there was no more conversation to be had on the subject. After finishing they paid the bill and returned to the truck outside. Night had fallen during the time they'd spent in the dinner. Clark switched the headlights on, fired up the engine, and started back on the journey for Silent Hill. The next three hours in the cab the trio remained quiet. It wasn't until twenty minutes after crossing the border of West Virginia that Clark spotted the road that Chloe had pointed out on the map.

"This is the road we need right?" He asked over his shoulder.

Chloe used the light on her phone to check the map again. "Yeah that's the one."

Clark turned the truck onto the old country road. The farmland of Indiana and Ohio had given way to thick woods in West Virginia, and the incline in the road indicated that they were driving up into the mountainous region. There was something strange about this road though. It wasn't just the trees pressing in from both sides, or the total lack of street lights, there seemed to be a thick fog developing outside the truck. Chloe frowned as she realized that it came up seemingly out of nowhere. Clark noticed it too and flipped the switch for his fog lights. The further they drove on the thicker the fog seemed to grow. It was as if the fog was trying to surround the truck and snuff it out light the light of candle.

"If this keeps up I won't be able to see anything on the road." He said. He was already squinting trying in vain to see the road beyond the grey mist.

Lex was beginning to worry as well. The fog seemed impenetrable. If it didn't lift, Clark could run right off the road. Suddenly, the radio, which had been on low and tuned to one of the numerous local country stations, increased in volume. Then a shrill metallic ringing reverberated through the cab of the truck. The sound was blood curdling. It was like the high pitched whine that two microphones make when they are too close together. Chloe's hands shot to her ears in a vain attempt to drown the noise out. Lex had a similar reaction. If he had hair, all of them would have been standing on end. In spite of that, goose bumps sprang up all over his skin. He hissed and tried to cover his own ears to spare himself from the sound. Clark looked away from the road for a moment to try and switch the radio off. But it seemed like no matter what he did the noise only intensified. The instant he took his eyes off the road, a dark figured lumbered out of the shadows and fog, and crossed right into the path of the truck. Chloe's eyes widened in panic as she noticed the figure on the road through the windshield.

"Clark, look out!" she screamed.

Clark's eyes flew back to the road and he turned the wheel sharply to avoid hitting the shadowy figure on the road. The car swerved severely and Clark lost control of it. The truck careened over an embankment and began to slide down a hill at 50 miles per hour. It hid a dip in the hill and began to roll. It flipped over and over again banging against trees as it made its way down the hill. Finally the car flipped a final time rolling off the hill and on to another road at the bottom. It landed rights side up and came to a full stop. A multitude of dings, dents, and scratches covered it. One head light was busted out and there were several cracks in the windshield. As for the three passengers in the cab; Chloe was sprawled out across the back seat, Lex was slumped over against the dash, and Clark was leaning against the diver side window. All three travelers were unconscious.

*So that's chapter 1, let me know what you think Chapter 2 should be up soon.


	3. Welcome to Silent Hill

Chapter 2: Welcome to Silent Hill

Chloe woke up with a start. Her eyes flew open and she sat straight up in the back seat of the pickup. The sudden movement made her head swim. She put a hand to her forehead and wished she hadn't tried to get up so quickly. There was a dull pounding behind her eyes and her whole body felt stiff. She struggled for a moment to remember what had happened. The last thing she could remember was, something had wandered out onto the road and when Clark swerved to miss it the truck went off the road. She looked to the front seat of the cab to see both boys still unconscious. She decided to try and rouse Clark first. She reached up into the front of the cab and started shaking Clark's arm.

"Clark…..Clark, wake up." She said as she tried to jostle him out of his torpid state. After a few seconds of shaking Clark began to respond. He sat up straight and inhaled deeply as his eyes opened. He looked around the cab of the truck his eyes blurry as he shook off the confusion.

"Chloe." He said as his senses came back to life. He put his hands to his temples and messaged them. "How long were we out?" He asked.

Chloe looked out of the cab windows to the grey world outside. "Judging from the light outside, hours." She replied. "Are you okay?" she asked Clark.

"Yeah, I think so." He said. Then he looked over at Lex. Lex was still slumped over his head resting on the dashboard. Clark reached out and attempted to wake him. "Lex….come on Lex wake up."

Lex groggily opened his eyes and moaned deep in his throat. He picked his head up off the dash and put a hand to his neck. The stiffness was excruciating. He wondered how long it would take to wear off. "What the hell happened?" he said in hoarse voice.

"We ran off the road." Clark said. "Are you okay?"

Lex moaned again and winced at the pain in his neck as he turned it to look at Clark. "I'll be alright." He said, his voice beginning to clear. He reached into his jacket pocket and took out his cellphone. "Okay, I know you guys didn't want to involve the authorities but now I think we have too." Lex flipped the phone open with the intention of calling the paramedics, but frowned when he noticed the phone was off. He pressed down on the power button but to no avail, the phone was dead. "What the hell?" He said in confusion. "My phone is dead."

Clark reached for his own cellphone but quickly discovered he was in the same predicament. "So is mine." He said looking to Lex. Then they both looked back at Chloe. She held up her phone.

"Mine too." She said flatly.

Clark put his hand to the keys in the ignition and attempted to start up the car. However it only made a clicking sound. He turned the key several times but the engine would not turn over. Clark stared at the steering wheel is shock. He'd just replaced the battery a few weeks ago. Perhaps the accident had damaged something. He sighed and took the keys out of the ignition. "Well the car's dead too." He said glancing around at Lex and Chloe.

"Well this is fucking perfect." Lex said, agitation thick in his voice. "Now what?"

Before Clark could answer he heard the door the back of the cab open. Chloe exited the truck and stepped out onto the pavement of the road.

"Chloe, where are you going?" He asked. But Chloe was already walking around to the front of the truck. Clark unfastened his seatbelt and opened his door to follow her.

Lex attempted to work the kink out of his neck for a moment and then followed suit. When he exited the truck he noticed that even though there was substantial light outside, they were still surrounded in a thick grey fog. He could only see ten or fifteen feet ahead in any direction. He mentally noted how strange that the fog should be so thick but the temperature was too warm for the fog not to have burned off. As he looked around something that had fallen onto his black jacket caught his eye. Several white flakes had deposited themselves onto the polyester fabric. _Snow? _He thought. _It's way too early for snow. _Then when he brushed it from his jacket he understood it wasn't snow at all. Snow doesn't smear. _Ashes? _Lex looked up to see a steady rain of ash falling all around him. "What the fuck?" He said to himself. Then he noticed that Chloe was standing several feet away from the truck looking up at something. Clark was standing right beside her. The steady rain of ash was beginning to collect in their hair. As he joined them he looked from Clark to Chloe.

"What are you guys doing." He asked.

Chloe made a motion with her head to indicate that Lex should look up. Lex joined his gaze with theirs. A large sign stood in front of them with gilded letters. It read Welcome to Silent Hill.

"We made it." Chloe said, looking back at Clark and Lex. She returned to the truck to retrieve her canvas bag from the back seat. After slinging it over her shoulder she walked back to the boys still standing beneath the sign. "We should get a move on." She said and started walking down the road. She only made it a few paces before Lex called after her.

"To where exactly?" He asked.

Chloe turned back around to face Clark and Lex. "Lex we made to Silent Hill, the very place we've been trying to get to. Now that were here, I'm going to look for Lana. Are you two coming or not?"

Lex threw up his hands in frustration. "Chloe, I think we have bigger problems than that right now!" He exclaimed. "The truck is all banged up, the engine won't start, all of our cellpones are dead, and this fog is damn near impenetrable. We can barely see anything through it at all. I think we should stay by the truck and see if we can flag down a passing car for help."

Clark looked to Chloe. "Lex may have a point Chloe." He said. "Even if we find Lana, how are we going to get back out of here if the truck won't start?"

Chloe sighed exasperatedly "Clark, I just want to find her." She said. "We can worry about the truck later."

"And what about the cellphones?" Lex asked. "And oh yeah, the fucking rain of ash, or haven't you noticed?"

Chloe looked up at the ash falling all around her, and then shook her head. "I can't explain that." She stated simply. "But, we're wasting time just standing around. The sooner we find her the sooner we can work out the other details."

Lex opened his mouth but then closed it again. Chloe was obviously not going to listen to reason. His shoulders slumped as he realized this was an argument he couldn't win. "Fine." He said and started walking. When he reached Chloe's position said. "But I want it on record I'm against this plan."

"Duely noted." She said in response and turned on her heal to keep walking. Clark jogged to catch up with them and the trio continued down the road. As they traveled down the paved road into Silent Hill the fog parted but only enough that they see maybe twenty feet in any direction around them. The sounds of their shoes hitting the pavement seemed to be the only sound to be heard. It was eerie how quite it was. There was no wind rustling through the trees, no birds singing, no sounds of cars, not even a cricket chirping. Chloe took the lead as they marched down the road with Lex and Clark walking a few paces behind her. As they walked Clark walked closer to Lex and lowered his voice.

"Lex, something has been bothering me." He said.

"No shit." Lex said. "What's been bothering you more? Chloe's total lack of sense, or the B-movie special effects going on all around us?"

"No, it's not anything about Chloe or this place, it's just….well, we all got knocked unconscious, even me. That doesn't usually happen without kryptonite." Clark said in response. Clark was referring to the green meteor rocks that fell to earth at the same time he had. Every time he'd been exposed to them they had made him violently ill, even causing him to pass out on several occasions.

Lex hadn't considered that. He knew the green rocks had a devastating effect on Clark, but also knew that without them Clark was quite literally invulnerable. "You're right." Lex said as he pondered it. "But then again the truck did roll down a very steep hill. Maybe you hit your head harder than you thought."

Clark wasn't convinced. He'd been through worse than car accidents and walked away barely breaking a sweat. Something very strange was going on. He brushed ashes out of his bangs and kept on walking. A few minutes later a large dark shape began taking form in the fog. As they approached it, the outline of an S.U.V. became visible. Chloe recognized the license plate as Lana's.

"That's Lana's car!" She cried as she quickened her pace and headed straight for it. She ran around to the driver's side door and swung it open. The seat was empty. She peered into the car only to find it empty. Clark had gone over to the passenger side and opened its door as well. On the passenger seat he found a map, a flashlight, and pocket radio.

"Why would she abandon her car?" He asked as he looked through to Chloe.

"Maybe she had the same problem we did." Chloe said in response.

She walked around the front of it to join Clark on the passenger side. She reached in and picked up the map. Then she walked back to the front of the car and spread out the map onto the hood. It appeared to be a map of Silent Hill. Clark picked up the flash light and the pocket radio. He wasn't sure how much use they would get out of either item but he had a feeling they might need them. Lex, who had walked over to the driver's side reached in and touched the keys in the ignition. He gave them a turn but only met with the same result as the truck. It appeared that Lana's car was dead too. _Fantastic _He thought. He noticed Chloe and Clark were hunched over a map spread out on the hood of the car and he moved to join them. He stood on the opposite side of Chloe and stared down at the map.

"Is that a map of Silent Hill?" he asked.

"Yep." Chloe answered. "And I think I know where Lana was headed." She pointed to an area of the map that had been circled by red ink. It was on the south side of the city, and the caption below the building read; Midwich Elementary School. Chloe folded the map a few times to make it easier to manage and then turned looked from Clark to Lex. "Let's go." She said. She turned and headed back down the road toward the entrance of the town. Clark was right on her heals. Lex hesitated for only a moment before following. As they walked away from the car, the fog swallowed it once more.

***Chapter 3 should be up in a day or too, please review and let me know what you think.**


	4. Dog House

Chapter 3: Dog House

The trio continued down the paved road and the town of Silent Hill slowly began to emerge from the fog. Street signs, buildings, benches, sidewalks, mailboxes, and even signs in shop windows became visible, though the fog still remained heavy. It was the most desolate thing any of them had ever seen. It was as if despair had swallowed the town whole. The fog added to the creepy ambiance as it curled around the stone facades of each building. Clark looked at each one with its darkened windows, only imagining what secrets they might hold. The ominous quiet was getting almost too much to handle. Lex walked up beside Clark.

"For a town that nearly burned to the ground it seems amazingly intact." he remarked.

"Yeah I noticed that too." Chloe stated glancing over at him. "The articles said the fire destroyed the residential area, but there's not much evidence of fire damage." Chloe added that to the growing list of mysteries about the town.

Lex looked back to Clark. "Maybe this would go faster if you picked Chloe and me up and used your super speed to get us to the school." He suggested.

Clark scratched the back of his head and gave Lex a remorseful look. "Uh…there's a slight problem with that." He said. "I tried to super speed already, and it didn't work."

His statement caused Lex and Chloe to stop in their tracks. Chloe looked back at Clark in confusion. "What?" She asked. "How is that possible? There aren't any meteor rocks around are there?" She looked around the street searching for the tell-tale green glow.

"No." Clark answered. "Not that I know of. But something is affecting my powers. I can't use my X-ray vision either."

"Obviously, there's more at work here than just the fog and the ash." Lex said trying to make sense of things. "What about your strength, and heat vision?" He asked.

Clark walked over to a street sign and ripped it out of the ground. Chunks of concrete fell away from it as he lifted it into his hands. He bent and twisted the metal to test the limit of his strength, and then he stared at it intently. The fire welled up in his eyes before washing over the twisted metal in his hands. It began to melt. He stopped before his heat vision seared right through it and then dropped the melted mass of metal to the ground. "Seems both still work." He said.

"Alright then." Chloe said resolutely. "We'll just have to make do with just those. Come on." She said as she continued down the road. Lex and Clark followed behind her. Clark was still puzzling over his missing powers, it had happened before, but there had always been an explanation before. He continued walking beside Lex with Chloe taking the lead position ahead of them. She kept glancing down at the map in her hands and then back to the road.

"According to the map, we need to turn left here." She said. The shifted their direction to walk down the small residential street. They continued down the path Chloe had indicated, the fog seemed denser here, and Clark could scarcely make out anything that was more than 10 feet ahead of them. The town homes on the street were arranged side by side attached to one another. There was a small drive way for each house and stone stair way leading to each front door. The blackened windows showed no sign of life within. As Clark shifted his gaze back to the road and he became aware of sudden danger. Chloe was walking a few paces ahead studying the map and did not notice an unexpected drop off in front of her. Clark bounded past Lex and snagged Chloe by the arm just in time to stop her from walking right off the edge of a cliff.

"Oh my god!" Chloe shouted as Clark pulled her back to safety. She looked down and saw the road disappear beneath her foot. She leapt backwards into Clarks arms. "What the fuck!" she exclaimed. Lex jogged up to their position at the edge of the great gaping maw.

"Chloe is this on the map?" Lex asked in confusion.

"No!" Chloe said wide-eyed. Clark released her and she gingerly inched toward the edge of the cliff and looked down. Lex was standing beside her and Clark came up along her opposite side.

"How is this possible?" Chloe whispered.

Clark looked from his left to his right. The fissure ran across the length of the street but also on the sidewalk, the grass, and even the town homes. It was as if a chunk of the town had been wiped away. If there was anything beyond the cliff, none of the trio could tell, the fog closed around them, only endless gray mist could be seen.

"Looks like we need to make a detour." Lex said, almost sarcastically.

Chloe began to regain her senses and shook her head in disbelief.

"What the hell happened here?" she asked. She knew neither Clark nor Lex could give her an answer but perhaps she was posing the question to the town itself.

Clark was going to say something but as he shifted his stance he noticed a rustling at his feet. He looked down to see a piece of notebook paper beneath his boot. Clark stooped down to grab it off the pavement. He lifted it up and saw that something had been written on it in black ink. The hand writing was legible, and looked feminine in style. Two words stared up at Clark. They read DOG HOUSE. "Guys. I got something here." Clark announced.

Chloe and Lex turned to look at him. "I think this is Lana's hand writing" he said as he handed the paper to Chloe.

"Dog house?" Chloe read out loud in a questioning manner.

Lex raised an eyebrow "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"I'm not sure." Clark answered. "But, it's obvious we can't go this way and, maybe Lana is leaving us clues. Chloe is there any other way to get to the school?" Clark asked.

Chloe pulled the map open and scanned it. "No, this seems to be the only road." She said. "Wait, there's a back alley over here that would put us back on the other side of the road."

"Presuming there is another side of the road." Lex chimed in.

"Okay." Clark said. "We've got two clues to work with. Chloe, where is that alley way?"

"It's back up the way we came a bit, it looks like it's behind these houses." She said as she craned her neck to look up at the row of homes."

The three of them began walking back the way they had come down the pavement. This time Clark and Lex were a bit ahead while Chloe trailed behind. She kept glancing back at the fissure and the abyss that seemed to lie beyond it. As they approached the stone steps of one of the town homes, a shadow ahead started to become clearer. It was small, looked like it was made of wood. Clark frowned as he thought he could hear something. It was faint, and he wasn't quite sure what it was, growling maybe.

"Is that the dog house?" Lex asked as they got closer to it.

Before anyone could say anything else, a shrill, blood curdling static pierced the air. Chloe froze at the horrible sound and then looked down at her bag. The chilling white noise was emanating from the small radio attached to it. Clark and Lex stopped mid-pace at the sound as well. The sound was exactly the same noise they had heard from the truck radio seconds before their accident. Then another frightful noise reached their ears. Clark looked to the dog house ahead. This time he was sure, he heard growling. Lex and Chloe also stared at the dog house aware of the sound as well. A dark shadow inside the wooden structure stirred. A cold sweat broke over Chloe and wave of terror clenched her. Clark was about to make a move toward the dog house when a large creature lurched out of the darkness.

Chloe screamed at the sight of it. It was horrific. It was the size of a large dog, or possibly a wolf. It looked as though it had been skinned, but that would have been impossible for any animal to live if that had happened. Instead of fur, its hide was covered in a twisted, gnarled mass of flesh. The veins covering its skin pulsed and glistened. Its color was a deep crimson red and its eyes glowed like the coals of a dyeing fire. Its growl was low and it rumbled through Chloe's nerves. It bore it's fangs as it snarled. They looked razor sharp and thick black liquid dripped from its joules. Chloe stood frozen in place with terror. Her wide eyes locked with those of the beast before her. Lex was also wide-eyed and unable to move. Everything inside him was screaming to run away, but his feet were planted on the ground as if his legs were unwilling to obey his mind. Even Clark was frozen with fear. He felt cold inside, like his blood had been replaced with ice. The creature growled again more forcefully as if in warning. Its muscles tensed and then it sprang forward leaping into the air and headed straight for Chloe. Chloe screamed again and fell back covering her face with her arms. She lost her footing and toppled back on to the pavement.

In a split second Clark snapped back into focus and realized the immediate danger. He moved to intercept the creature and darted in front of it. The creature slammed into him just inches from where Chloe lay cowering on the pavement. It howled in anger as it bounced off him. It recovered seconds later and made ready to pounce again. Lex was still frozen in place watching the spectacle before him. Chloe had sat up, and was watching with equal shock and fear. Clark stared the creature down and felt the heat begin to well up in his eyes. As the beast leapt again the fire from Clark's eyes washed over it setting it ablaze. The monster howled and whined in pain as its veiny, bloody hide caught fire. It connected with Clark's body in a final attempt to kill its prey. Clark caught it in mid leap, as it burned. It was completely engulfed in flame but Clark felt none of its heat. He tossed the creature to the ground where it ceased to struggle. It burned until there was nothing left of it but a smoldering pile of remains.

Clark was still standing ridged as Chloe picked herself up the ground. "What the fuck!" she exclaimed. Her eyes were still wide with fear from what she had just witnessed. Lex found his nerve and moved to Clark's side. He stared at the pile of charged remains that had been the monster that just tried to attack them. "What was that thing?" Chloe said as she stepped up to Clark's other side. "I don't know." Clark answered. His voice seemed detached from his moving lips. His eyes were locked on the remains in a blank stare. Lex began to feel a cold sweat breaking over his body.

"We have to get the fuck out of this town now." Lex announced. He was shaking as she spoke, fear had taken a grip on him and it was not going to let go.

"No!" Chloe shouted at him. "We are not leaving Lana in this place." Chloe's resolve to find and rescue Lana was stronger than ever. Whatever was going on in this town, she was not going to leave her friend in this living nightmare.

Lex was desperately trying to regain his composure but he was quickly starting to panic. "Chloe, did you see that thing! There could be dozens of creatures like that running around here." Lex was starting to back away from the remains on the pavement. "It's not safe for anyone here, I know you want to save Lana but this is ludicrous, we need to get the authorities out here, we need the police, fuck we need the army." Lex's words were coming out fast as the panic took hold. Then Lex felt two strong hands take hold of his shoulders. Lex looked up into the face of his lover Clark. Clark had snapped out of his daze and was now trying to calm Lex.

"Lex...Lex" He repeated. "You can't freak out on us now. Whatever that thing was, it's dead, and your right there may be more of them, but that's why I'm here." Lex's breathing began to slow down, his eyes focused better on Clark. "And Chloe is right." Clark continued. "We can't leave Lana in this place. We need to find her, and bring her safely home." Lex felt his heart begin to beat at a normal pace and he exhaled heavily. "Are you okay?" Clark asked as he looked into Lex's face. Lex managed a nod of his head, and Clark took Lex into his arms and held him tightly. The embraced for a moment before Chloe interrupted them.

"I hate to break up a tender moment guys but I think I found something." She stated.

Clark and Lex turned to see her reaching her hand into the dog house and feeling around on the inside of its roof. She seemed as though she were trying to dislodge something. She tugged a few times and the object freed itself. When she walked over to where Clark and Lex were standing she held in her open palm a small silver key.

"It looks like a house key." Clark observed. Then he looked over the house that loomed in front of them. "Maybe to that one?" He pointed. "Chloe you said the way we were looking for is behind this row of houses right?"

"Yeah." Chloe answer as her gaze followed his. Then she turned and marched up to the stone steps leading to the door of the house. Clark and Lex followed in tow. When Chloe reached the door she took the key in hand and slid it into the lock. The key would not turn easily; Chloe had to jiggle it several times before it loosened the gears of the lock. With a little effort, a loud click indicated the door was now unlocked. Chloe put her other hand to the door knob and turned it. The door creaked open, and Chloe starred into endless blackness in front of her. A blast of cold air hit Chloe in the face and she felt her hair stand on end. "Clark, you still got that flashlight?" She asked. Clark stepped ahead of Chloe into the house and turned on the flashlight.

A beam of white light penetrated the inky blackness. Chloe and Lex followed after Clark into the front room of the town house. The air inside was freezing as if someone had turned on an air conditioner on full blast. Clark shined the flashlight around the small room to reveal a long dark hallway directly in front of them. Clark took the lead following the beam of light to the end of the hallway. As their eyes adjusted the trio could see that the layout was just like any standard town house.

A staircase was located to the right leading up to the second level, and a small closet door was to the left. It was absolutely still inside the house, nothing stirred or showed any signs of life. A thick layer of dust covered the floor and the flat surface of a small end table near the closet. An antiquated phone sat on its surface. There was no indication that it might be functional but, Lex's instincts told him to pick up the receiver and try it. The moment he held it in his hand he knew it was dead. He sighed heavily and placed it back on its stand. Clark and Chloe were already making their way to the end of the narrow hallway. As Lex followed suit he noticed two rooms that branched off the hall. One was a small den with a couch and television, the other was a tiny kitchenette. Clark was shining the beam of the flashlight on the door knob of a wooden door blocking any further advancement through the house.

"The map said the alleyway is behind these houses, this might lead to it." Chloe observed as she looked up at Clark.

Clark moved his hand to the knob and gave it a turn. When it did not turn it was apparent the door was locked. Clark gave it a firm super-powered turn and the lock broke. Clark swung the door open to reveal a small fenced in back yard of the town house. The trio stepped on to the patio beyond the door and into the fog and raining ash. Chloe noticed a door in the fencing of the back yard but as she stepped out onto the back patio, she became aware of something very strange happening. Clark and Lex were aware of it too as they looked up. What little light that had managed to break through the dense clouds of ash began failing. It was as if someone was turning a dimmer switch on the sun. The pupils of their eyes struggled to adjust as the shadows around them stretched and consumed everything in sight. Chloe's breath hitched in her throat and her eyes widened as the light was snuffed out and the trio was showered with darkness.

"What the hell is going on?" She whispered.

The only light left was the bright beam of the flash light that Clark was holding.

"Uh, where did the sun go?" Lex said a light touch of panic in his voice.

"That's impossible." Clark said, "The sun doesn't just disappear. Something very, very weird is going on here." Clark moved to Chloe's side and held the beam of light between them as to make it easier for them to see one another.

"Chloe, check the map again, are you sure we're headed in the right direction?" He asked.

Chloe went down on her knees and pulled the map from her messenger bag and spread it across the grass of the back lawn. Clark aimed the flashlight on the maps surface so Chloe could read it. Lex crouched down beside Chloe to look for himself. Chloe's eyes scanned the map.

"Yes, the map shows the alley is behind the gate, from there we turn right back on to the street that leads to the school." She said.

Lex stood up and cleared his throat. "So do we go?" he asked. He looked from Clark to Chloe.

"We can't turn back now." Chloe answered. Chloe pushed the map back into her bag and stood up. "Clark, will you aim the flashlight at the gate?" She asked.

Clark complied and the beam fell across the metal latch that held the gate shut. Thankfully, it didn't have any kind of lock on it so Chloe was able to lift the latch and swing the gate open. The trio stepped on to the pavement of the alley as the rain of ash had dissolved into a light rain of water. Chloe pulled the collar of her jacket around her neck and followed Clarks lead down the alley with Lex following in tow.

The darkness surrounding them in the alley was so dense Chloe's eyes couldn't adjust to see anything beyond the beam of the flashlight. The continued down the alley till they reached the turn necessary to take them to the other side of the street, and ten minutes later Chloe could see a large black shadow emerging in the beams light. They were now treading on a concrete sidewalk. As they passed a large sign Clark swept the flashlight across it to see the gold letters spelling out Midwich Elementary School. The paved sidewalk lead them up stone steps to the front double doors of the school building. Clark reached out for the handle and pulled the door open with no trouble. The trio entered the building, leaving the rain and the darkness behind them.


	5. Clock Tower

Chapter 4: The Clock Tower

The trio entered the elementary school and were greeting by total darkness. Clark's lone flashlight illuminated the space just enough that they wouldn't crash into anything as they moved forward. Another set of double doors lie ahead. As Clark moved the beam across the glass panes of their little windows, Chloe noticed an odd symbol etched into the glass surface. She couldn't remember seeing a symbol like it before. It seemed to be a series of small circles with a larger circle encompassing the others. There was small writing crowded into the in between spaces, but Chloe couldn't make out what language it was in. They pressed on through the double doors, and into the main hall of the school house. Clark swept the beam of light from one side of the hall to the other. The beam fell across a wooden door with another glass window on which was written Main Office. Chloe approached the door and reached for the knob, only this time the door was locked.

"Clark, I need your help here." She said.

Clark obliged, and walked to the door reaching for the knob. Clark made a sharp turn on the knob, but nothing happened. He tried again rattling the knob concentrating with all his energy, but to no avail. He pulled and pushed against the door trying hard to summon his strength, but he failed. A look of confusion and disbelief crossed Clark's face.

"I can't" He said.

"What do you mean you can't?" Lex asked.

At that moment the eerie shrill static filled the room. Chloe's eyes shot to the pocket radio attached to her bag. All her hair stood on end and her heart raced. Lex began to back up against the wall near Clark. Clark swept the beam all over the room in a panicked attempt to locate the cause of the static. The trio had learned that the creatures of this town caused the radio to react.

"Where is it?" Lex asked frantically his eyes shifting back and forth.

Clark's flashlight focused on a dark figure creeping out the blackness of the shadows. It moved quickly in small controlled steps. Its size was no larger than that of a nine or ten year old child. It was a hideous thing. It was naked, and its flesh was as grey as ash. The body was covered in a multitude of scars, lesions, and mutilations. The wounds produced no blood, only a black resin almost like tar. It had no distinguishable facial features; it was as if fire had burned away any trace that it could have been human. In one of its mangled hands it carried a large kitchen knife. The blade of the knife was stained red with blood. Chloe couldn't repress a scream as she pressed against the wall scrambling to get away from the creature. Clark focused to bring his heat vision into action, but to his astonishment, it failed, he could not feel the energy rise within him to make it work. A stab of cold fear hit Clark as he realized his powers were gone.

In the seconds it took Clark to become distracted the creature lurched forward and attacked him. Clark was caught off guard and topped backwards. The creature crawled on top of him slashing with the kitchen knife. Clark struggled to throw the creature off him and shielded his face with one arm. The demons knife slashed through the lining of his coat and cut into the skin of his forearm. The creature thrashed wildly on top of him, the black substance oozing from the wounds splattered onto Clark's shirt. Clark's eyes were wide with terror. Just as the monster was about to make a killing blow it was knocked off of him by Lex's fist connecting with its head. The creature dropped the knife and staggered back several paces giving Clark a chance to scuttle back against the wall. Lex's survival instincts we in full swing and he stooped quickly to snatch the knife off the floor. When the creature lurched forward again, Lex drove the blade of the knife deep into its chest. It fell to the floor dead. Lex backed away wiping the black resin on his hand on his jacket. He offered the other hand to Clark to help him up off the floor.

"Jesus Christ!" Chloe exclaimed. "Clark, what the hell happened? Why didn't you use your powers?"

Clark took Lex's offered hand and pulled himself up. He removed his jacket and inspected the wounds on his forearms. The cuts were shallow and superficial. The bleeding would stop soon.

"I don't know what happened." He said in a stunned voice.

"Clark, I think this place is affecting your powers." Lex interjected. "Before it got dark, you could only use your heat vision and strength, your x-ray vision and speed were gone. Now you're completely powerless."

Clark took his flannel shirt off and tore the sleeves off it to make bandages for his arms. He stood in his white t-shirt wrapping the flannel fabric around his wounds.

"Well, my powers are tied directly to the sun." He said.

"And there's a definite lack of that around here." Lex stated. "Something about this place blots out the sun, and your powers suffer as a result."

"So now I'm completely vulnerable." Clark finished Lex's sentence as he put his red jacket back on.

Chloe sighed. "Welcome to the human condition." She said with a wry smile.

Clark smiled back weakly, and Lex rolled his eyes. Chloe looked around for something to break the lock with. She noticed an old fire extinguisher on the wall and walked over to it. She removed it from its case and then went back over to the door. She lifted it and banged the bottom of it against the knob several times. Each time it connected with the knob a loud clang rang out in the otherwise quite hall. On the fifth blow the knob broke off the door and the lock released. Chloe dropped the fire extinguisher onto the floor and put both hands against the door. She swung the door open and the three of them entered the small office. There was a counter with a log book, and along the wall were cubby holes marked with names for mail inboxes. Behind the counter were two small desks littered with numerous papers and dust. Clark stepped behind the counter and started rummaging through the drawers. In the second drawer he found two more flashlights and to his utter surprise, a revolver. He handed the extra flashlights to Lex and Chloe, and then held the revolver in his hand.

"I guess this was before the anti-firearms in school laws were in effect." he said as he glanced from Lex to Chole. He then opened the barrel of the gun. It was loaded.

"Clark, I'd better take it, I've handled firearms before." Lex said and held out his palm open for the gun.

Clark snapped the barrel of the gun in place and handed the gun over to Lex. "Unless we find some bullets you'd better make every shot count." Clark stated.

"Guys." Chloe said to get their attention. "There's something written here." She was shining her flashlight on a piece of notebook paper on the counter. It was written in red ink, or at least she hoped it was red ink. On the page were three times of day listed along with what seemed to be poems or some kind of riddle underneath each.

"_10:00_

_Alchemy Laboratory_

_Gold in an old man's palm_

_The future hidden in his fist_

_Exchange for sages water_

_12:00_

_A place with songs and sound,_

_A silver guide post is _

_Untapped__ in lost tongues,_

_Awakening at the ordained order._

_5:00_

_Darkness that brings the choking heat,_

_Flames render the silence_

_Awakening the hungry beast,_

_Open times door to beckon prey."_

"What the hell is all that supposed to mean?" Lex asked.

Chloe shook her head as she tore the page from the log book and folded it in half. "No clue." She answered. "But, we might need this." She was about to pocket the page when Clark spoke up.

"Wait...Chloe read the second part again." He instructed.

Chloe unfolded the page and read the second time and poem listed on the page. When she finished Clark continued.

"A place of song and sound might mean the music room." He said. "Now we just need to know what time it is."

"Don't ask me, I never wear a watch, I always rely on my cell phone." Chloe said.

Lex pulled his sleeve back and then pulled an annoyed face as he looked down at his watch. "Son of a bitch!" He cursed. "My watch stopped."

"Well nothing else works around here, I don't know why we thought time would be any different." Chloe said.

"In any event. I think we should check out the music room." Clark said as he started taking something down off the wall. He had discovered a map of the school building and examined it.

"One floor up, directly above us. There's a stairwell to the left out the office door." He folded the map and handed it to Chloe. She slipped into her bag along with the others they had found.

"Before we go, I think we need to see what else we can find." Lex said. He opened a supply closet on the other side of the office and discovered a fist aid kit, and luckily a box of bullets. With supplies in hand the trio walked out the office door and made a left turn. They passed the body of the creature that had attacked Clark and Chloe. They opened a set of double doors and began to ascend the staircase to the second level. Two flights up they reached another set of double doors. When they opened they entered another long dark hallway. Clark shined the flashlight down both ends of the hallway; it looked like the way was clear. Clark forged ahead with Chloe and Lex following behind.

Three doors down the hallway stopped in front of a door with a plaque to the left. It read **Music Room** in embossed chalk white letters. Clark reached for the door knob and turned it. The door was unlocked and the knob turned effortlessly. Clark swung the door open and stepped into the small room with Chloe and Lex in tow. The room was like any typical school room. The tiled floor was checkered black and white. There was a row of small bleachers ascending up to the wall, and a piano in the corner. A thick layer of dust covered everything. Even the floor was coated with it and their shoes left foot prints as they walked into the room. Clark shined the flashlight around the room trailing the beam from the bleachers to the piano and then to the shelves of instruments along the west wall.

"What are we supposed to be looking for?" Clark said in a confused tone.

"No idea." Chloe answered. "But the note in the reception area said something was supposed to be happening here." Chloe walked to the piano in the corner as she spoke.

"Well it's obvious no one has been here in a very long time." Lex said as he ran his finger along one of the shelves. As he scrapped his finger along the surface a heap of dust built up. Lex whipped his finger on his jacket and looked over at Clark and Chloe. "We have no idea what that note meant or when it was written."

Chloe mentally noted Lex's concern but she became distracted when she looked down to the keys on the piano. There appeared to be several dark smudges on a group of the keys. She pulled out one of the other flashlights they'd found and switched it on. "Hey Clark." She said. "Come take a look at this."

Clark joined Chloe and shined the beam of light down onto the keys. When his light hit the keys Clark became aware that the dark smudges were not just dirt.

"Is that...blood?" Clark asked, shock obvious in his voice.

"Uh, yeah I'd assume so" Chloe said. A frown creased her brow as she looked down at the smeared blood on the keys. _What in the name of God is going on here?_ She thought.

Lex was about to join Clark and Chloe at the piano when something caught his attention. He froze in place and starred at the chalk board. Even in the darkness Lex could tell that something had been written on it, and he had a grim feeling that it wasn't written in ink. "Guys." he said, getting Clark and Chloe's attention. "You need to see this."

Clark and Chloe stepped over to Lex and shined their flashlights on the chalk board. A projector screen had been pulled down over the green board. Lex's suspicions had been correct. There was writing on the screen, and it was indeed written in blood. But unlike the blood smears on the piano keys, this blood looked fresh. It was the bright red of arterial blood, however long ago it had been used to write the message it had not turned the rusty brown color that it should have been. It appeared to be some kind of poem or riddle. It read;

_A Tale of Birds __without a Voice_

_First flew the greedy Pelican, _

_Eage__r for the reward, White wings flailing._

_Then came a silent Dove, _

_Flying beyond the Pelican, As far as he could._

_A Raven flies in, _

_Flying higher than the Dove, Just to show that he can._

_A Swan glides in, _

_To find a peaceful spot, __Next to another bird._

_Finally out comes a Crow, _

_Coming quickly to a stop, Yawning and then napping._

_Who will show the way, _

_Who will be the key, _

_Who will lead to,_

_The silver reward. _

"Who the fuck writes a riddle in blood?" Lex said in an exasperated voice. "I feel like we're trapped in some psychotic Alice in Wonderland on acid, or something!"

"Lex!" Chloe scolded. "Calm down, don't start losing your cool again. Remember, Lana needs us. She could be lost or injured somewhere. If this can help us find her then we need to figure it out."

Chloe stepped closer to the poem to examine it better. _Birds without a voice?_ She thought. As she considered the poem she began to dissect each stanza. Pelicans, doves, and swans were all white birds, while ravens and crows were black. Then Chloe returned to the piano keys.

"Chloe?" Clark asked. "What are you thinking?"

Chloe looked over at Clark and Lex. "What if the poem correlates to the keys on the piano?" She asked.

"How do you mean?" Lex inquired.

Chloe looked to the keys again. "Well, Pelicans, swans, and doves are white, ravens and crows are black, just like the keys on a piano." She said. "There is only blood on some of the keys and not on others. What if it's like a combination?"

"You mean like, you press the right keys in the right order and something happens?" Clark asked as he moved to her side by the piano.

"I don't know, but it's worth a try." Chloe answered. She moved her hand down to hover just above the set of keys with the blood on them. Then she gingerly pressed a finger to the first key with a blood stain. Instead of it making the tone associated with the key it only made a dull thunk noise. The string to the key must have been snapped. Chloe moved her hand to the next key; this one did not have a blood mark and pressed down. It made a clear note; obviously not all the strings were detached. Chloe pressed the next key stained with blood and it made another thunk.

"So some of the keys make a note and some don't." Clark observed.

"Like the poem says." Chloe stated. "A tale of birds without a voice."

Chloe considered the keys and the poem for another moment. She tested each key with the blood marks and each one only made a thunk instead of a tone. "Lex." She said. "Read me the order of the birds again."

Lex began to list of the birds same order as the poem. Pelican, Dove, Raven, Swan, Crow. As Lex read off each bird Chloe pressed the silent keys one after the other, white, white, black, white, black. As Chloe pressed the last key a scrapping noise echoed through the room. A section of the wall just above the chalk board began to slide open. The sound of wood scrapping against wood continued as a panel pushed out from the wall and then a loud clunk was heard as a heavy round object clambered to the floor. Lex stooped down and scooped the object up off the floor. He held the disk in one hand and shined the light of his flashlight on it with the other. It was a silver oval set within a wooden back. On the surface of the shiny metal was a relief of a crescent moon. The beam of the flashlight reflected off the unmarred surface of the object.

"I guess this is the silver guide post." Lex stated as he looked to Clark and Chloe.

Chloe agreed with Lex's assessment. That meant they had the first clue to the next step. "So what's the next…" But his sentence was cut short by a loud ringing sound. A frown creased Clark's brow as he began to follow the noise. He walked out of the Music room and into the deserted hallway. The sound that attracted Clark's attention was the chiming of a large bell. He walked to one of the windows along the wall and peeked through the blinds.

In the courtyard of the School was a tower that reached all the way to the top of the building. On the front of the tower was a huge clock. Its dingy, rusted face was dimly lit from behind. Clark observed that the hands of the clock were positioned to denote that the time was 10 o'clock. "That's weird." Clark said.  
>"How is it nothing else is working around here but the clock?" Clark asked turning his head to look at Lex.<p>

"I think asking questions at this point is useless." Lex said as he looked through the window at the clock. "Chole, there was a clue for 10 o'clock wasn't there?" Lex glanced over at Chloe.

Chloe rummaged through her bag and pulled out the piece of paper from the registration office. She gave it quick read and answered. "The Alchemy Laboratory." She said. "What do you guys think, the Chemistry Lab maybe?" She asked.

"Well, Alchemy is what they used to call Chemistry." Clark answered. "But, your guess is as good as mine."

Chloe reviewed their options. She had no idea if Clark was right but it was better than nothing. Reading over the poem written on the notebook paper she decided they could figure out what sages water and the gold meant later. "Okay, then." She said. "Chemistry lab it is."

The three of them exited the music room and stepped back into the dark hallway. Chloe checked the map and informed the boys that the Chemistry Lab was on the other side of the building. It seemed that they would have to brave another long pitch black hallway to reach it. Each of them felt a sense of trepidation at the idea but there was no other option. Clark lead the way with Lex and Chloe following in tow until they reached another set of double doors and carefully swung them open. Chloe held the pocket radio out in front of her. No eerie static pierced the silence so they assumed that it was safe to continue forward.

Upon reaching the end of the hallway they saw a door with another clearly embossed label reading Chemistry Lab. Clark reached for the handle and turned it. Thankfully it was unlocked. Inside the room was like any other school lab room. Sinks, lab tables, Bunsen burners, and a periodic table of elements was plastered to one of the walls. There were shelves lined with dozens of chemicals all collecting dust. When Lex swept the beam of his flashlight across the room a glint of something shinny caught his eye. As he stepped over to one of the tables he picked up the object. It was heavy and about the size of human hand. In fact that's exactly what it looked like as well. A metal human hand balled up into a fist.

"Hey guys." Lex said looking over to Chloe and Clark. "I think this is what we're looking for."

Clark and Chloe moved to stand beside him as he held out the object for them to inspect. Upon closer inspection the trio discovered that clenched in the metal fist was another disk shaped object, only this one was golden in color as opposed to the silver one they found in the Music Room.

"Gold in the old man's palm." Chloe said quoting the poem they found at the reception desk.

"Yeah, now how do we get it out of there?" Clark asked looking to Lex, but Lex only shook his head unsure of how they could free the golden disk from the clutches of the hand it was encased in.

Clark's brow furrowed as she tried to remember the things she'd learned when she had to take Chemistry in High School. Truth is she had only managed to get by with a C most of the time; Science was never her strong suit.

"Hey, wait, I remembered something." He said. "Sage water was a medieval term for Sulfuric Acid." Then he moved to one of the many chemical lined shelves. "And Sulfuric Acid eats through metal." He continued. He riffled through the many bottles and then finally grabbed what he was looking for. "Lex put the hand in one of the sinks over there." He directed.

"Clark, what's to stop the acid from dissolving the disc?" Chloe asked, unsure that Clark's plan would work.

"We just use a little of it." He answered. "Enough to weaken the metal so we can break it open."

Lex placed the hand into the basin of a nearby sink and Clark walked over to join him. He lifted up the bottle and unscrewed the cap. Gingerly he poured a very small amount of the dangerous liquid onto the metal hand. The sound of sizzling filled the room and the acrid stench of the chemical invaded their nostrils. But it appeared that Clark's idea had worked. The solution had eaten away just enough of the metal that with one good whack from the butt of his flashlight Clark was able to break the hand open. Lex then lifted the golden disc with the image of the sun on it out of the sink.

"Well that's two riddles solved." He said pocketing the disc. "Now what?"

Chloe was about to say she had no idea when the sound of chiming once again filled her ears. She glanced in the direction of the noise and realized that it was the clock tower bell ringing again. What the hell is going on with that clock tower? She thought.

"There it goes again." Clark said, looking over at Chloe. "Do you think it means something?" he asked.

Chloe only shrugged; there was so much about the town that didn't make any sense to her. Lex decided to speak up. "That's twice now that bell has started ringing, and I think it's safe to say that everything here means something." He stated. "I think we should check out that clock tower, agreed?" Clark and Chloe nodded their approval, and the trio exited the Chemistry Lab.


	6. Otherworld

Chapter 5: Otherworld

Clark, Chloe, and Lex stood in the small courtyard of the school. Chloe stared up at the dimly lit clock face. Twice the bell had called out to them. Both occasions were after finding the disks. Now the trio had no idea what to do next. Clark was inspecting the base of the clock tower trying to see if he could find any clues. There was a door at the base of the tower, but after inspection Chloe discovered it was locked tight. Lex stood nervously looking around. They hadn't encountered anymore creatures, but he was sure there were more lurking in the shadows. Chloe's attention was a brought back to Clark when he spoke.

"I think I found something." He said staring at an object on the side of the clock tower.

Chloe moved to stand next to him and she observed an oval indentation in the stone wall. It was exactly the right size for one of the disks they had retrieved. Beneath the indent was carved a single word, **MOON**. Chloe reached into her bag and pulled the silver disk from its resting place. Then she slipped into the notch. It was a perfect fit. Following her instincts Chloe walked over the opposite wall beside the door and found another indentation. This time the word carved into the stone edifice was the word **SUN**. Pulling out the second of the two disks Chloe placed the gold object into the notch above the word. Again it was exactly the right size to fit. Before she could wonder what to do next there was a loud click. Lex, who had been standing closest to the door between the walls, reached for the knob. It turned without any resistance and Lex opened the door to the pitch black nothingness beyond it. Lex's blue eyes strained to see any discernable shapes in the darkness but he couldn't make anything out.

"Ok." He said. "Now what?"

"Well," Chloe said as she came round to the front of the clock tower and aimed her flashlight into the dark opening. "I guess all we can do now is go in." The beam from her flashlight illuminated a small empty room. The walls were bare and there was no debris littering the floor. But, as she swept the beam downward she noticed that there was a ladder leading down into further darkness. Just as she about to make a move to enter, Clark grabbed a hold of her arm.

"Wait." He said. "I'll go first."

Chloe just shrugged and moved out of the way to allow Clark to enter the clock tower first. Clark stepped into the small dark room and had to duck slightly as the ceiling was quite low. He walked in a crouched manner till he reached a ladder leading down into the blackness below. He shined his own flashlight down the hole. The beam only managed to illuminate a few feet down before dissolving back into inky darkness. Screwing his courage to the sticking place Clark bent down and swung one of his legs down into the hole and onto the top rung of the ladder. Chloe and Lex followed suit and the trio began the decent into the stygian bowels of the clock tower. After what seemed like an eternity Clark's foot finally touched solid ground and he planted both feet on the floor at the bottom of the ladder. He turned and shined the flashlight into the oblivion beyond.

Chloe and Lex were behind him a few seconds later adding their own flashlights to his. There was a long hallway with another low ceiling a head of them. But again the darkness was simply too thick to see more than a few feet into the hallway. Chloe shivered and hugged herself tightly to stay warm. The temperature had dropped at least six degrees, and if there had been light enough to see it, she would have seen her breath coming out in wisps of steam.

"Fortune favors the brave." Clark said as he began to move forward. Chloe simply followed after, and Lex rolled his eyes again at Clark's platitude before taking up the rear position. Chloe was able to walk upright but Clark and Lex had to stoop slightly because of the low ceiling. As the trio made their way down the passage the only sound to be heard was their footsteps. Then a chilling, awful sound began to reach their ears. It was faint at first, but then it began to grow louder and more intense. "What the hell is that noise?" Chloe asked. It sounded like a siren, only not a police siren. It was more like an old World War II air raid siren.

"I don't know." Clark answered. "We just need to keep moving." The siren had grown so loud and intense that Chloe could barely hear Clark's last statement. Her ears were ringing and she had to resist the urge to cover them for fear of dropping her flashlight. Behind her Lex was using one hand to cover his left ear in an attempt to block out the sound. The sound of the siren's mournful wail made his skin crawl. It was as if the sound was draining away all hope, all courage, all joy. It shook him down the marrow in his bones. Just when the trio thought they would go deaf from the siren, the sound began to subside. Its intensity faded away until their footsteps were again the only sound in the dark hallway. Clark let out sigh of relief as his flashlight beam swept over what appeared to be an exit. The iron rungs of another ladder came into view. The cramped hallway opened up enough that the three of them could stand comfortably. They looked up at the hole were another ladder was.

"What goes down, must go up, right?" Chloe said. Now it was her turn to state the obvious.

"I don't think we have any other choice." Clark said as he grabbed onto the bars of the ladder and began climbing up. Chloe followed after he'd made it up about four rungs and Lex again brought up the rear. They climbed the rusty ladder until Clark reached the top. He pulled himself up onto a platform identical to the one they had descended from only moments ago. When Chloe and Lex reached the top Clark looked around the small room. "Weren't we just here?" He asked, his face creased with puzzlement.

"That's impossible." Chloe said

"I don't think anything is impossible here." Lex quipped. Lex took initiative and opened the door to exit the room. He stepped back into the courtyard of the school. "And yeah Clark, it looks like we're right back where we started." He glanced up at the face of the clock. The hands had read 10 o'clock when they entered the tower, now they read 5 o'clock. Lex was beginning to wonder if everything that had happened so far was some kind of delusion brought on by the car accident. He never thought we could lose his grip on reality to bad that even time didn't make sense anymore.

Chloe stepped out of the tower behind Lex and then Clark exited last. Chloe was completely at a loss for words. Lex was right, they were right back in the same courtyard as before. But how was that possible, they'd walked down a long corridor in the opposite direction. She was sure it was a straight shot, she couldn't recall the hallway turning or doubling back on itself.

Clark had wondered away from Chloe and Lex to the center of the courtyard. As he swept the flashlight around he noticed something had been drawn on the pavement stones. He aimed the beam down at it and tried to comprehend what he was looking at. It was similar to the symbol on the windows of the school doors, only instead of a series of circles; this symbol seemed to be a large triangle with a single circle surrounding it. "Guys." He called out to the two standing by the tower. "This wasn't here before was it?"

Chloe and Lex joined Clark where he stood and looked down at the strange sigil on the ground. "No." Chloe answered. "At least I don't remember seeing it before."

Lex stared at the symbol and noticed that like the other one they had seen, there was a great deal of crowded, almost illegible script written all around the and inside the triangle. "Any idea what that says." He asked as he pointed to it.

Chloe shook her head, and Clark simply shrugged. It could have been anything, though neither Clark nor Chloe could remember having seen anything like it before. Lex looked back to the face of the clock at the top of the tower. "Chloe, what was the poem for 5 o'clock?" He asked.

Chloe drew out the paper with the times and poems on it and recited the stanza.

"Choking heat huh?" He said as he pondered its meaning. "I'm tapped. What about you two?"

Chloe refolded the page and slipped back into the bag. "Well we are in a school." She said. "And all schools have a boiler room. That's where they keep the furnace."

"And all boiler rooms are pretty stuffy." Clark said finishing Chloe's thought. "Boiler room it is." He turned away from the symbol on the ground. "How do we get there Chloe?"

Chloe consulted the map. "Those doors." She said motioning to the nearest set of double doors. "Then a right and down the staircase." Lex and Clark started toward the doors. Clark climbed the few steps to reach for the handle but when he pulled the door wouldn't budge. He tried the other one only to meet with the same result.

"They're locked." He said turning to look down at Lex and Chloe.

"But how?" Chloe asked, her face riddled with confusion. "Those are the doors we used to get into this courtyard. How can they be unlocked one minute and locked the next?"

"You're still asking questions at this point?" Lex said. "I think we should give up asking why and just try to find another way."

Chloe retrieved the map again and gave it a once over. "Okay the doors on the opposite side, we'll just have to see if they're unlocked. Then we take a left. We'll have to go the long way but we can circle around to get to the stairs."

"And the long way means we might run into more of those…things." Lex said with a shudder.

"Well you've still got the gun." Clark pointed out. "Give the knife to Chloe." He instructed.

"But that leaves you unarmed." Chloe said as she accepted the knife from Lex. "Without your powers, you really ought to have a weapon."

Clark looked around the courtyard for anything he might be able to use to defend himself. The beam of his flashlight swept over a long metal pipe that had been discarded. He walked over to it and picked it up. Shoving the flashlight into his pocket, he took in his hands and made a few good swings with it. It was heavy, and felt steady in his hands. "This'll do." He said. He fished the flashlight from his pocked and looked over to Lex and Chloe. "Off to the boiler room."

When they approached the set of doors on the opposite side of the courtyard, Clark was again leading the trio. He tested the handle of one of the doors, it was unlocked. He opened the door and the three armed companions entered back into the school. The first thing that caught Clarks attention was that something was off, even more so than anything else they'd seen. There was a metallic clang as he stepped onto the floor. In fact there was a clang every time he took a step. He aimed the light down to his feet to discover that he was walking on a metal grate. The entire floor had changed from tile to metal grates, and below the grates, a seemingly endless black void. His eyes widened in shock.

Chloe who had come in behind him hadn't been watching where she was going and ran right into a long chain hanging from the ceiling. When she ran the beam from her flashlight around the room she saw that there were many chains hanging from the ceiling. She moved ahead of Clarks position and saw that on the opposite wall, instead of another set of doors, there was a huge industrial fan taking up the entire wall. The blades of the fan were covered in rust making it look almost like some kind of medieval torture device. There were two rows of benches, almost like pews in front of it. "What in god's name?" She said.

Lex entered last and when he took a look around his flashlight beam fell across something that startled him so much he actually cried out. His scream attracted the attention of Clark and Chloe who added their beams to his. Clark inhaled sharply and his heart skipped a beat. When Chloe saw the image illuminated by their lights a scream died in her throat. A hand flew to her mouth and her blood ran cold. In a corner of the atrium a cage-like structure had been set up. Inside the cage was a figure that had been strung up crucifixion style. The shape was vaguely human, though it was hard to determine that from the trauma it had suffered. It had been disemboweled. Its ravaged insides hung around it's torso from a large gash. Its limbs were covered in lacerations that would have gushed blood if it had still been alive. Its mouth was frozen in an agonizing scream, and its black eyes stared blankly into nothingness. Chloe's hand moved from her mouth to her chest. It was the most horrific thing she had ever seen. "Holy shit!" She cried.

"What the fuck is this?" Lex asked his heart racing.

Clark couldn't look at the monstrous sight any longer. He averted his eyes and took several deep breaths. He was trying to keep himself from vomiting. His stomach did several flip-flops before settling. Then he looked to Chloe. "Chloe." He said in a breathy voice. "We need to keep moving. Where's the hallway that we need?"

Clark's voice brought Chloe out of her shock. She looked at him, blinking away tears. "Uh." She said as she aimed her flashlight to the left. "It's that way." She wiped tears that were streaming down her cheeks with her sleeve and started down the hall. Clark looked back over to where Lex was standing. He was still staring up at the terrible mutilation in the cage.

"Lex."He called over to his lover.

Lex tore his eyes away from the gruesome scene and looked at Clark, his eyes were still wide with fear and his breathing was rapid. He cleared his throat and tried to regain some composure. "Yeah, I'm coming." He walked quickly over to Clark and the two of them followed behind Chloe. When they reached the end of the hallway Chloe put her hand to the door handle and tested it, the door opened easily and she stepped through with Clark and Lex right on her heels. But rather than entering another hallway, the door let them out into what appeared to be a classroom. Though with the changes that had taken place in the school, it was almost impossible to tell what the room's purpose had been. A single desk in the center of the room was the only thing that gave Chloe the clue that it was a classroom.

The trio approached the desk. It was the kind of standard desk you could find in any elementary school. It had a flat wooden surface and the chair was built into the bottom of the desk. The one thing that made it stand out from ordinary school desks was the numerous words carved into its surface. Chloe ran a hand along the desks surface feeling the deep groves of the carvings. Some of them were too shallow to read while others were so deep they looked as if they'd been written in black ink. The one word that stood out from all the others was WITCH. It was in fact the largest word carved into the surface of the desk. Chloe wondered who the desk could have belonged to. And, what kind of children would carve such nasty things into a classmate's desk.

"Wonder what this is all about." Lex said as he stared down at the deep carving.

"Don't know." Chloe said in an almost sympathetic tone. "But I bet she wasn't very popular."

Chloe wondered if it was the type of desk that one could store things in. She reached over to the front of it facing the chair and pulled. The desk popped open and she lifted the marred surface up to reveal the contents. Inside there were the remains of some pencils, a molded history book, and a writing journal. She lifted the writing journal and shined her flashlight on it. On the line intended for the name of the child it belonged to Chloe read; Alessa Gillespie.

"Alessa." Chloe said as she held the journal in her hand.

"Who's Alessa?" Lex asked

"The girl this desk belonged to I suppose." Chloe answered.

Clark looked up from the desk and made out the faint outline of a door on the opposite wall. He shined his beam on it. "Better press on." He stated and headed for the door. Lex followed after him. Chloe stared at the name on the journal for a moment more and then put it back where she had found it. She joined Clark and Lex, as Clark opened the door to the next room. Chloe had expected another empty room but instead this one had several rows of tables. On each table surface there were dozens of telephones. They were the old black styled telephones that Chloe had only seen in the homes of the elderly before. They were so old they were rotary dial. A soon as Lex saw them he walked up to one of the tables and reached for a receiver.

"Lex." Chloe said, as he took one of them into his hand. He stopped and looked at her. "Seriously?" She gave him a knowing look.

Lex hesitated for a second and then sighed and put it back down. He knew the line would be dead before he even reached for the receiver, but he couldn't help himself. There was a door on the opposite side of this room as well. Chloe pointed to it. "I'm sure the staircase should be beyond that door, then we can get to the boiler room."

The three of them headed for the door. Just as Clark's hand landed on the knob, a sound broke the silence, causing Chloe to almost jump out of her skin. She threw her flashlight beam back to one of the tables. To the utter amazement of the trio, one of the phones was ringing. The sound echoed off the walls as the phone rang and rang over and over. Chloe looked at Clark and then at Lex. It seemed that none of them were eager to pick up and find out who or what was calling. Lex started to move to answer it but Clark held out his arm to stop him. With a burst of courage Clark walked over to the table with the ringing phone. He steadied his nerves and reached out for the receiver. He brought it to his ear and said. "Hello?"

The reception of the line was terrible. There was a great deal of static and white noise on the other end. He strained to hear something that was trying to break through the interference. It was a voice. And, it was definitely female. The words were coming in spurts and they were difficult to understand. Then the line cleared just enough that he could make out what she was saying.

"Clark…help me!" The voice cried out over the static. "Clark…where are you?"

"Lana!" Clark shouted into the receiver. "Lana is that you?" But suddenly the line went dead again. There was only silence on the other end. Clark dropped the receiver back in place. He looked up to see Lex and Chloe staring at him. Chloe wore an expression of panic.

"Well, was that her? What happened" She asked.

"It definitely sounded like her." Clark answered. "The line went dead before I could hear anything else. But I think it was Lana."

"Could that call have come from within the building?" Lex asked.

"There's no way of knowing really." Clark said as he returned to stand with Lex and Chloe. "But you were right Chloe, she's in trouble, she sounded terrified."

Chloe drew in a deep breath and turned back to the door. "Then we'd better find her in a hurry." She said as she reached for the knob. She turned it and exited the room, Clark and Lex following steadily behind. Chloe had also been right about the staircase, it lay a few feet beyond the door. The trio began descending the staircase into the basement of the building, cautiously stepping further and further down into the black void of the schools underworld.


	7. The Serpent and the Arrow

Chapter 6: The serpent and the arrow

As the trio descended the staircase into the abyss of the school basement, the temperature of the air began to rise. With each step it seemed to grow a few degrees warmer. Chloe thought for a moment she should remove her jacket, but not knowing what to expect next, she decided against it. They continued down one more flight of steps before reaching a landing. When Chloe had checked the map before, there had been 3 doors listed for the basement level. One led to the boiler room, one led to the electrical room, and the third led to a storage room. However, there was only one door in front of them now. She had the feeling that whatever power had taken hold on the town, it would rearrange things to its own whims and desires. Chloe was in the lead of the group and not wanting to waste time trying to figure things out, she reached for the knob and opened the door. To her surprise, what lie beyond was not a boiler room. Instead the room seemed to be a library of some kind. There were shelves lining all four walls, and each shelf was loaded with books. There were several tables in the room as well and dozens of books littered their surfaces.

"I thought this was supposed to be a boiler room." Lex said as he surveyed their surroundings.

"That's what the map said, but I don't think we can trust it." Chloe said. "We should look around and see if there's another door."

As Clark and Lex searched, Chloe walked around the room and swept her flashlight over the tomes that lay sprawled out on one of the tables. The books seemed to be on a multitude of subjects though Chloe wasn't really trying to read any of them. However there was one book open to a page that caught her eye. It seemed to be a book of fairytales with rich illustrations. The particular page showed a drawing of a young man facing some kind of large lizard creature. The young man was armed with a bow and arrow and the illustration depicted him drawing his weapon against the creature. It looked familiar to her, and Chloe racked her brain to remember where she had seen it before. She picked the book up and read the passage above the illustration.

_"Hearing this, the hunter armed with bow and arrow said, "I will kill __the Lizard." But upon meeting his opponent, he held back, taunting, " Who's afraid of a Reptile". At this the furious Lizard hissed, "I'll swallow you in a single bite!" then, the huge creature attacked, jaws open wide. This was what the man wanted. Calmly drawing his bow, he shot into the Lizards gaping mouth. Effortlessly the arrow flew, piercing the defenseless maw. And the Lizard fell down dead."_

"What are you looking at?" Clark asked as he walked over to where she was standing.

Chloe shook her head and put the book back down. "Nothing." She replied. "I was just something that I read once when I was kid, I think. It's not important."

She was going to continue the searching for the door when Lex motioned to her and Clark. "Guys." He called out. "Look at this." As Clark and Chloe approached him, he held out one of the books he had picked up from one of the tables. Chloe reached out and accepted it from him. She turned it clockwise to read the title. It read; The Crimson Tome.

"What's this supposed to be?" She asked.

Lex shrugged. "I didn't read any of it, but it open it, that symbol in the courtyard is on a dog-eared page."

Chloe did as instructed and found the page that had been marked. Indeed the same symbol that had been drawn on the courtyard stones was contained in the book. The symbol took up the entire page. Chloe looked for a caption or something to explain what the symbol meant but there was none. She wanted to flip through the book for more clues but reading wasn't on her list of priorities at the moment. She closed the book and added it to the contents of her bag. "We'll take it with us." She said. "Maybe it'll come in handy. When she looked back at Lex she noticed he was staring at something, buried under several of the books. "Lex, what is it?" She asked.

Lex didn't answer, he only reached under the pile of open books and pulled what he was looking at out. In his hands he held a hunting rifle. It was the old, but it looked like it was still useable. Lex snapped it open to inspect the barrel. It was loaded. He looked over at Clark. "Clark, I think you should take this." He tossed the rifle so Clark could catch it. Clark caught it and used the strap to sling it over his shoulder. "You've been hunting before right?" He asked.

Clark threw the steel pipe he'd been carrying onto the table. "Yeah every year." He answered.

Chloe found it funny that she wasn't even surprised to find a hunting rifle in a library, but after some of the things she'd witnessed that day she wondered if she'd ever be surprised again. When she looked back to the wall she noticed a door between two of the bookcases. A frown creased her features, had that door been there the whole time? She looked over to Clark and Lex. "Was that there before." She said gesturing toward it.

"I don't think so." Lex answered. "But, chances are it wasn't"

For the first time since their arrival Clark was beginning to get frustrated. "I feel like we're in Hellraiser, or something. Everything keeps changing." He said.

"You might not be wrong." Chloe said still staring at the door. "I don't get it anymore than you two do, but we can't give up." Without another word Chloe walked up to the door and opened it. The trio exited the library and into the boiler room. Though, this was far from a typical boiler room. There was a furnace alright. It stood off to one side of the room near the wall but directly in front of them there were a set of valves and something resembling a gate. The gate was constructed of two iron poles with long sharp spikes protruding from them. The spikes spanned the length of the opening between the two poles, barring any further advancement. The trio stood before the gate unable to continue.

"I take it we have to go through there don't we?" Lex asked.

"I'd assume so." Chloe answered. "The question is how."

If Clark still had his strength he could have simply bent the bars and they could have stepped through. However, because of the changes that had undergone the town, Clark had lost his powers. Chloe would have suggested trying to squeeze through the openings between the spikes but there simply wasn't enough room between them to try without impaling themselves. She glanced over at the valves beside the gate. "Maybe those have something to do with it." She offered.

Clark walked over to the valves and turned the left one experimentally. It turned clockwise a few inches and made metallic whine. A grinding sound echoed through the room as the turnstiles of the gate began to move. They moved simultaneously causing the spikes in the center to shift positions but when they came to a halt the spikes were still blocking the path. Clark turned the valve to the right and the turnstiles returned to their original position. "Must be a combination thing like the piano." Clark said. He turned the right and left valve in a random order. The turnstiles rotated left and right, and back and forth, but when they came to a stop the spikes still blocked the entrance to the room beyond. Lex, who had been watching the pattern closely, spoke up.

"Wait, Clark, I think I might have an idea." He said. "Try this out." He instructed Clark to turn the left valve twice. Clark did as instructed, but the spikes remained in the center. "Okay now turn the right valve." Clark complied and this time the turnstiles rotated away from one another and the spikes no longer blocked the path.

"How did you figure it out?" Chloe asked a little astonished.

"I've always been pretty good at figuring out patterns." Lex replied. "Shall we continue?"

Chloe took the lead again and walked through the now clear doorway. She only made it a few paces before her flashlight suddenly went dark. "Shit!" She cursed as she fiddled with it trying to turn it back on. Lex hadn't been paying attention and bumped right into her knocking her off balance. Then Clark ran into the back of Lex causing a domino effect. As Chloe stepped forward to regain her footing she realized the floor had disappeared beneath her feet. She screamed as she tumbled forward and right off the edge of the grate. The screams of Clark and Lex followed her as they too pitched forward and into the oblivion of the dark below them. With no light Chloe had no idea how far they were falling. The air rushed by her ears as they plummeted through the void. After what seemed like an eternity she connected with the cold hard floor and wind was knocked from her lungs. Her head hit hard and pain exploded behind her eyes. Her lungs desperately tried to draw in air and she gasped several times, trying to breathe normal again. She heard two loud thuds and the sound of groaning. _The boys must have hit the bottom too_, she thought. She couldn't see a thing in the pitch black all around her.

"Clark….Lex….are you guys alright." She called out in a weakened voice. Before Clark or Lex could answer Chloe became aware of glow in her peripheral vision. She turned to look at it and saw that a single flame had appeared out of the floor several feet to the left of her. The flame started small, but then began to grow in size and intensity of light. It was as if some unseen hand was pouring gasoline on it as it blazed to life. It grew to the intensity of bonfire. The dark in the room began to recede as the light from the fire was cast all around the room. Chloe could now see where Lex and Clark and landed. Lex was on his back and he groaned as he rolled over onto his side. Clark had already pulled himself into a sitting position. He had one hand pressed against his head, and his eyes squinted as they adjusted to the growing light. Chloe pushed herself to her feet, though it was not easy. Her knee was throbbing with pain She had banged it up when she'd hit the floor. She limped over to Lex and offered him a hand. Lex grabbed a hold of her outstretched hand and pulled himself off the floor. Clark stumbled to his feet and shuffled over to Lex and Chloe.

"Lex, Chloe, are you two alright?" He asked as he put one hand to Lex's shoulder and the other to Chloe's.

"I think I'm alright." Lex said. "Although when we get out of here my chiropractor is going to be a busy man."

Clark smiled weakly and looked to Chloe. Chloe nodded and said. "Yeah I'm okay, I banged up my knee but I don't think anything is broken. In the light she noticed that Clark had a few cuts and scrapes on his face, but he seemed to be alright as well. "So where the hell are we now?" She asked. Clark opened his mouth to say something but a deep rumbling growl cut off his words. The trio turned their heads in the direction of the terrifying sound. One by one their eyes widened in horror at the sight before them. Out of the shadows beyond the fire a huge and ghastly shape lumbered into the light. It was gigantic, several times larger than a horse. Its hide was covered in scales that glowed and shimmered in the light of the fire. Its bulbous head rested at the end of a long thick neck, and a black viscous fluid dripped from the slit of its mouth. Though none of the trio could be sure it was the creature's mouth as the slit ran vertical along the head instead of horizontal. It advanced forward toward the light on heavily muscled limbs with razor sharp talons on the end of its reptilian feet. Two huge black eyes adorned the sides of its head. A long prehensile tail whipped behind it as it shuffled closer to them. Chloe tried to suppress a scream but it flew out of her mouth. The trio began to back away from it as it unleashed another terrible growl. Lex instinctively pulled out the revolver and aimed. Before Clark or Chloe could protest Lex fired off two shots directly at the monster. The bullets connected with the creature's head but bounced harmlessly off of it.

The monster flinched at the impact of the bullets and snarled aggressively. The trio stared in utter horror as its head seemed to split open vertically. The two sides of its face opened wide revealing an impossible wide mouth. Rows and rows of needle like teeth lined the sides of its jaw. An ear piercing roar emanated from deep in the monster's gullet. Its jaw snapped shut and the creature began to advance on them in a fleetly manner. The trio split up. Chloe ran off to the left of the creature, putting the fire in between it and her. Clark grabbed a hold of Lex and two of them moved to the right of the monster trying to avoid its mouth. It was big, but it couldn't move very fast due to its size. However, neither Clark nor Lex had counted on its tail. As they tried to move away from it, it swung its tail in a wide arc and caught both of them knocking them back to the ground. It craned its head around and roared again. Lex and Clark quickly scrambled back to their feet and backed away. Clark took the hunting rifle from his shoulder and took aim. But before he could pull the trigger Chloe called out to him.

"No Clark! You've only got one shot with that thing, don't waste it." She cried.

Clark's gaze shifted to Chloe and his brows knit in confusion. Unfortunately Chloe's outburst drew the monster's attention to her. It turned around and locked its gaze on her. She screamed as it moved around the fire to try and reach her. She ran around the parameter of the fire trying to keep it between her and the creature. It snarled and lashed out trying to grab her in its jaws, but Chloe managed to dance out of the way each time. Taking advantage of the fact that it was distracted, Lex ran up alongside the creature and aimed at one of its shiny black eyes. He squeezed the trigger and fired a shot directly into it. The bullet buried deep into the eye of the monster and a splash of tar-like blood exploded from the socket. The monster howled and thrashed its head back and forth. Lex couldn't get out of the way in time and the monsters head connected with his body. He was thrown across the room, landing on his back and dropping the revolver.

"Lex!" Clark screamed as he ran to Lex's side.

Chloe was still standing on the opposite side of the fire between her and the monster. Suddenly a thought popped into her head. She couldn't explain why, but the story of the man and the lizard came back to her. A crazy idea began to form in her head. With a speed she had never known she raced past the creature just barely avoiding another snap of its jaws. She ran to where Clark was helping Lex off the floor. She quickly crouched down grab the revolver up from the floor. She cocked back the hammer and looked at Clark.

"Clark, when I give the word, I want you to shoot, I have an idea." She said.

"Chloe what are you….." But Clark couldn't finish his sentence as Chloe ran directly up to the beast. She fired off several shots right in the monsters face. The bullets defected off its impenetrable hide. But it caused the effect Chloe had been hoping for. The creature's head split wide open displaying the massive maw of its jaws. Just as they seemed as if they could close on Chloe and chomp her in half, she hit the floor. She dropped to her knees and bent far back over on herself. The pain in her knee was almost unbearable but she had to time it just right. Her eyes flew to Clark.

"Clark now!" She screamed.

Clark didn't hesitate for a second. He drew the rifle up, took aim, and fired a single shot straight into the open mouth of the creature. The shot drove deep into the monsters gullet. An agonizing howl of pain escaped the monster. Torrents of black blood spewed from its gaping jaws. Chloe rolled over from her position on the floor to avoid getting spayed with it. The creature slumped forward and cashed to the floor. A few gurgling sounds emanated from it as it died. Finally the monster ceased to move. Chloe picked herself up from the floor and cautiously walked over the prone body of the creature. She kicked one of its legs with her foot. When it didn't react Chloe was certain that it was dead. She sighed, relieved that her idea had worked. Clark and Lex walked over to stand beside her before the corpse of the monster. Clark looked at Chloe in amazement.

"How did you know that would work?" He asked.

"I didn't." She replied. "You know that story in the book I picked up back in the library?"

Clark nodded. "Yeah what about it?" He said, still uncertain how Chloe had known how to kill the beast

"The story was about a young man that killed a giant lizard by shooting an arrow into its mouth." She explained. "It just came to me all of a sudden, and I knew what to do."

"You could have been killed." Lex said taking the revolver back from her.

Chloe shrugged. "It worked didn't it?" She shot back.

Lex sighed and shook his head. Clark smiled and pulled Chloe into a hug. Chloe cracked the first real smile she'd had in days as she hugged Clark back. "Leave it you." He said as he released her from the hug. Chloe was about to thank him when the sound of the siren filled the room. This time it was louder than it had been before. It reverberated off the walls of the room and vibrated right through the bones of the trio. All three of them put their hands to their ears and the sound crashed against their ear drums. Chloe's head pounded with intense pain as she began to lose equilibrium. She would have given anything for the sound to stop but it continued. It washed over her in waves, and darkness began to crowd her vision. Lex had already fallen to the floor seemingly unconscious. Clark was struggling to hold on but he too succumbed to the intense pain in his head. The last thing Chloe saw was Clark hitting the floor before everything went black.


	8. Church Bells

Chapter 7: Church Bells

Chloe's eyes slowly fluttered open. The throbbing in her head was beginning to subside. Swarms of color swirled across her vision as she returned to the waking world. Her eyes were blurry butt she could see that there was light in the room. Not the orange fitful light of a fire, but the diffused grey light they had encountered when the first arrived. She rolled over on her side trying to summon the strength to get up off the floor. The last thing she could recall was the mournful wail of the siren causing her to pass out. It seemed that whatever trick the siren had pulled in turning the world upside down, it also worked to reverse it. The boiler room had become nothing more than an ordinary boiler room. No fire, no monster, no grated floors, and no darkness. As she forced her body to sit up she noticed a figure standing next to the door out. At first Chloe thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. But, she was almost certain that there was a young woman standing near the door. And, she looked just like Lana. Chloe strained to clear her vision, but her eyes were still adjusting. The girl did look a lot like Lana, except there were compelling differences. The young woman was attired in an outfit that looked hopelessly outdated. Her black hair was bound behind her in a tight bun, and she wore no shoes on her feet.

"Lana?" Chloe said. She stumbled to her feet, and the girl standing next to the door backed away. "Wait, Lana is that you?" Chloe took a few cautious steps forward. The girl inched further away, backing toward the door. The girl cast a sad look into Chloe's eyes and then in the next instant she vanished. She simply faded away from sight as if she had never been there at all. Chloe rubbed her eyes and shook her head. _Maybe I was dreaming_, she thought. She was beginning to wonder what was real and what wasn't. She heard the sounds of Clark and Lex stirring behind her. She turned to see Clark pulling himself up and Lex already on his feet. "How do you feel?" She said addressing both of them.

"I'm getting tired of this place giving me a head ache." Lex stated dryly.

"And, I'm getting tired of being knocked out." Clark said as he drew himself to his feet. "Other than that I feel okay."

Chloe glanced back at to the door for a moment. She wished she could be certain that the young woman she had seen was Lana, but she doubted her eyes. Lex noticed the concern on her face and asked "What is it?"

Chloe looked back to Clark and Lex. "I don't know." She sighed. "I think I saw Lana."

"What?" Clark said shocked. "Where?"

"Over there." Chloe said as she pointed to the door. "She was there one minute and then gone the next." Her brows knit together. "But, I'm not sure it was really her. It looked like her, but….different somehow."

"I don't get it." Lex said. "It was her but it wasn't?"

Chloe threw up her hands in confusion. "The clothes were all wrong; she looked like she walked right out of the seventies or something. I was coming out of haze when I saw her, maybe I was wrong."

Clark shook his head. "I wouldn't rule it out just yet." He said. "She's been leaving clues for us this whole time, it's like she's trying to guide us or something." Clark took off his jacket and inspected his arms. The cuts left by the child-like monster had healed, and the nicks and scratches on his face had vanished. It appeared that his invulnerability had returned. Lex noticed that his love was completely healed.

"Are your powers back?" He asked.

Clark nodded. "Guess so." He answered. "At least my invulnerability anyway."

Chloe looked around for the flashlight she'd lost. After spotting it she walked over and scooped it up. "What about your strength and heat vision?" She asked as she slipped it back into her bag. Clark looked over to one of the walls and tested his heat vision. He felt the fire well up in his eyes and a second later he had burned a mark into the concrete wall. Then he walked over to it and wound up his fist and arm into a powerful punch. His fist connected with the wall and smashed straight through the thick stone. His arm was buried a few feet into the concrete when he withdrew it. "Yeah looks their both intact." He said as he shook the dust from his hand.

"Any clue what that giant lizard thing was all about?" Lex asked as he looked around the room. He puzzled over how the corpse of the monster had disappeared.

"Nope." Chloe said. "But I guess when we killed it, everything went back to…." She was going to say normal but that would have been silly. "….normal –ish." She finished.

"I hate to sound like a broken record." Clark said pulling his red jacket back on. "But, now what?"

Chloe considered Clark's question. Truthfully she had no idea; she was flying by the seat of her pants the same as Clark and Lex. Then the sound of bell began to peal in the distance. The trio all took notice of it and began looking around trying to identify the source. "Is that the clock tower again?" Chloe asked.

"No, it sounds further away than that." Clark said as he walked toward a small window. "And it sounds different than the clock tower bell. It's almost like a…."

"Church bell." Lex said finishing Clark's thought. "Chloe is there a church around here?"

Chloe opened her bag and pulled out the map of Silent Hill they'd found in Lana's car. She opened it and scanned it for any sign of a nearby church. Chloe spotted a red block on the map with a caption beneath it reading; Balkan Church. "Yeah, actually there's a church on Bloch Street." Chloe replied. "It's three blocks over."

"Looks like that's our only recourse." Lex said as he retrieved the revolver from the floor and shoved it into the back of his pants.

Clark nodded his agreement and slung the rifle back over his shoulder. He hoped they could find some more bullets for it; otherwise it would be practically useless. After using the first aid kit they'd found to bandage some of their minor cuts, the trio gather themselves together and exited the boiler room. They found the staircase leading back to the main floor and made their way up. Several minutes later the exited the school house and returned to the fog covered streets of the town.

Two detours caused the three block journey to become a five block journey, and Clark had to burn a few monster dogs along the way but thirty minutes later they were standing in front of the massive stone façade of the Balkan Church. By the time they reached the stone steps leading to the large wooden doors of the entrance the bell had ceased ringing. Clark took the lead and tested the latch on the doors. It turned effortlessly and Clark swung the heavy door open. He motioned for Lex and Chloe to enter. Chloe walked through first, followed by Lex, and finally Clark entered the threshold letting the large door close behind him.

The interior of the church was like most Catholic churches Chloe had seen before. Large stone pillars held the vestibule up before opening to a huge vaulted ceiling. Stain glass windows covered the walls on the right and left of the church. Multicolored light showered down into the huge space washing over the pews and the floor. At the center of the opposite wall from the door stood the obligatory alter, and handing above it was a huge crucifix complete with the crucified Jesus. Standing at the altar with her back turned to the trio was a woman. As the trio advanced into the church the sound of their footsteps alerted the woman that she was not the only one in the church. She slowly turned to face the trio. She was an elderly woman. Chloe guessed she had to be somewhere in her mid sixties, though she couldn't make an accurate guess. Deep lines creased the woman's brow. There were also deep crevasses around the woman's eyes and mouth. She wore a scowl that made Chloe want to shiver. She wore something that looked like an old house dress. Her feet were bare, and she wore a shawl of black lace around her head. Her grey hair was visible beneath the shawl. The trio stopped half way to the altar, and the woman's piercing grey eyes settled on them. Clark was about to ask her who she was or what she was doing here, but the woman spoke first.

"Only the dark one opens and closes the door to Silent Hill." She said. Though, it sounded as if she was talking more to herself than the trio before her.

Clark, Lex and Chloe looked at one another in confusion. In a moment of boldness Lex addressed the mysterious woman. "Were you the one ringing the bell?" He asked.

"I've been expecting you." The woman replied. This time she was definitely talking to the three of them. "It was foretold by Gyromancy."

"Huh?" Chloe said looking at the woman in puzzlement. "What are you talking about?"

"I knew you'd come." The woman continued. "You want the girl right?"

Clark's eyes widened at her statement. "The girl." He said. "You're talking about Lana?"

"I see everything." The woman replied. She made a gesture with her hands over her eyes as if to denote she had some kind of mystical ability.

Chloe's heart leapt at the possibility of finding out some answers about what had happened to their friend. "Please." She said raising her voice. "We're looking for a friend of ours, she disappeared five days ago. We think she's come here." Chloe began walking forward toward the woman as she spoke. "She's about seventeen years old, black hair, olive toned. Have you seen her?"

The woman began to back up against the altar as Chloe approached. "Stay back!" She shouted. Chloe stopped in her tracks. The woman continued when Chloe ceased to advance. "Nothing is to be gained from floundering about at random." The woman straightened herself and walked around the altar to stand behind it. "You must take the path, the path of the Hermit concealed by Flauros."

Lex scoffed and walked over to Chloe. "This woman is obviously crazy; we're not going to get any help out of her." He said.

Chloe shushed him and turned back to the woman. "We don't know what you're talking about." She said.

The woman reached into a pocket of her dress. She pulled out an object the size of her fist and held it up for the trio to see. "Here, the Flarous, a cage of peace." She said. Chloe observed that the object looked like a miniature pyramid. It was dull gold in color, and she couldn't be sure at the distance she was at, but it seemed to be covered in more scribbled writing. The woman continued her explanation. "It can break through the walls of darkness, and counteract the wrath of the underworld." She set the Flarous down on the dusty cloth of the altar. "This will help you." Then she started backing away from the altar. She stepped down from the podium and headed for a door to the left. She turned back to the trio and issued a final statement. "Make haste to the hospital before it's too late."

"No wait, don't go yet." Chloe called out to her, but it was too late the woman was already opening the door and making a hasty exit. Clark bounded after the woman. But, when he reached the door, he discovered the she had locked it behind her. He turned back to Chloe and Lex who were now standing before the altar. "She locked it." He said.

"It's just as well." Lex said flatly. "I don't think she had anything else useful to tell us."

Clark joined Lex and Chloe on the podium. "So what was this thing supposed to be again?" He asked pointing to the pyramid on the altar.

"She said it was called the Flau-ros." Chloe said trying to recall how the word was supposed to be pronounced. "She said it would help us." She picked the Flauros up from the altar's surface and held it up to examine it. It did indeed have script written all over its surface, but again it was too crowded and illegible for Chloe to read. "Might as well take it with us."

Lex rolled his eyes again. "Right." He said sarcastically. "Some mystical chotchke is supposed to help us find Lana, of course."

"Lex, not now." Chloe chided. She put added the Flarous to the contents of her bag. As she did that she pulled the map of Silent Hill out again. She spread the map out on the altar and scanned it. "She said we need to go to the hospital." When she located said hospital she pointed to its location on the map. "And this looks like the only one." She stated. "Alchemila Hospital."

"Do you really want to trust what some old loon told you?" Lex asked.

"Do you have a better idea?" Chloe shot back.

Lex gave up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Whatever." He said. "Well if we're going, we'd better hop to it. I don't want everything getting all fucked up again."

Chloe put the map back and turned to head back down the aisle and out the door. Clark and Lex lagged behind just a few steps. As they walked Clark looked over at Lex. "I know you think this is all insane, but it's the only clue we have." He said in a soothing tone. "We might be one step closer to finding Lana."

Lex sighed heavily again and grabbed Clark's hand as they walked through the doors of the church. "I know, I know." He said. "I know how much it means to both of you that we find her. But, I'm starting to wonder how much worse this is going to get." They left the sepulchral silence of the church behind and returned to the dismal grey world outside.


	9. White Claudia

Chapter 8: White Claudia

Thirty minutes after the trio exited the silence of the church they were crossing a bridge over the river that ran through Silent Hill, and were making their way to the Alchemila Hospital. Their encounter with the strange woman had left Chloe shaken. The woman's cryptic speech about a looking for a girl, and the gift of the enigmatic Flarous had Chloe's mind whirling. The Flarous itself was currently bouncing around in her canvas bag.

When time permitted she planned to take it out and examine it thoroughly. She also remembered to flip through the Crimson Tome when she had a chance. The book they had discovered back at the school house may contain some clues, or it might be total gibberish, Chloe wouldn't be able to tell until she could read it. At least the vagrant woman had given them another hint about where to look for Lana. That was precisely why they were headed for the hospital.

They walked grouped together as they crossed the large gate-bridge separating the residential area from the town center. While Clark and Chloe seemed lost in thought, Lex kept glancing behind them and all around them ever vigilant of another monster that could dart at them through the fog. However, the small radio attached to Chloe's canvas bag was silent, so it appeared that for the moment, the way was clear. They knew they had reached the end of the bridge when the buildings of the town center began to emerge from the grey mist ahead of them. Chloe had studied the map and knew that they would have to take an immediate left to reach the hospital, but the sign on one of the buildings before them caught Lex's attention.

"Hey." He said snapping Chloe and Clark out of their respective mental states. "There's a Police Station over there." He pointed to a building that lay just five hundred feet before them. He jogged past Clark and Chloe and headed directly for the front door of the station.

"Lex!" Chloe called after him. "We don't have time for this." She expected Clark to agree with her, but he broke out into a jog himself and headed after Lex. He called back to her over his shoulder.

"There might be supplies in there." He said.

Chloe sighed heavily and a decided to let Lex and Clark have their way. She quickened her pace so that by the time she caught up with them Lex was already testing the front door to the station. To his relief the door was not locked and he was able to swing the large glass door open with no trouble. Lex entered first with Clark following after him. Chloe entered last letting the door swing closed behind her.

The interior of the Police Station was much like everything else they had encountered in the town so far. Abandoned, dusty, and eerily quiet was the best way to describe it. It was like any other standard police station with a reception area, a front desk, and off to the right were two rooms that may have been offices. Lex walked behind the front desk and began to search for something useful. Then he spotted exactly what he was looking for. And old CB radio was lying on the counter behind the front desk. He picked up the receiver and tested it. But, to his great disappointment there was no response. He placed the receiver back down and cursed.

"You didn't really think that would work did you?" Chloe asked.

Lex shot her an annoyed look. Then his shoulders slumped and he sighed. "It was worth a try." He answered.

"Well not's give up yet." Clark piped up. "Check for bullets, weapons, and anything else we can use."

Lex and Clark made themselves busy searching for supplies that would be useful. Chloe decided to leave up to the boys while she did a little looking around of her own. She noticed a door to the left of the reception area with the word Detective etched into the glass window. She felt if there were going to be any useful clues they would be in there. Lex and Clark didn't pay her any mind as he opened the door to the office and slipped inside. It was a standard office. There was a desk, book shelves, chairs, a phone, dozens of files scattered on the desk surface, and file cabinets. Chloe also noticed on one wall was a chalk board, but nothing was written on its green surface. She walked around to the back of the desk and started flipping through the numerous pages scattered on it. Chloe knew enough about police reports to decipher which ones were important and which ones were trival.

There were some forms for standard police procedures, notes about upcoming projects, and just about every mundane thing related to law enforcement. Chloe was about to return to the boys when a stack of papers caught her eye. She lifted them up into the grey light pouring through the windows. As far as she could tell they were handwritten notes by some detective concerning a plant that grew in Silent Hill. The heading at the top of the page said White Claudia. Curious, Chloe began to read. The first one read;

**File 8**

_Product only available in select areas of Silent Hill._  
><em>Raw material is White Claudia, a plant peculiar to the region.<em>  
><em>Manufactured here? Dealer = Manufacturer?<em>

Chloe flipped to the next page and read;

**File 14**

_Perennial herb found near water. Reaches height of 10 to 15 inches._  
><em>Oblong leaves, white blossoms. Seeds contain hallucinogen.<em>  
><em>Ancient records show it was used for religious ceremonies.<em>  
><em>The hallucinogenic effect was key.<em>

The third page was badly smudged. Chloe wasn't sure if it had been done on purpose or if time had simply worn away at the ink. She tried to make out the nearly illegible writing but some of the words were far too obliterated to understand. She read;

_...tis ..de from from the above-mentioned White Claudia,…dr…has…. u….to perform exor… It is a viscous liquid, red….color, and is….. adminis….remedy…..illnesses for which the cause is not kn…_

Chloe's mind struggled to understand why the local police would be so interested in a plant. _Maybe the citizens had found a way to manufacture drugs from this stuff_, Chloe hazarded a guess. Deciding that ultimately the pages didn't help her find Lana any faster she set the pages back down on the desk and made her way to the exit. When she stepped back into the main office Clark turned around from an ammunitions locker to look at her. "Find anything?" He asked

"No, not really." Chloe said in response. "What about you?"

"We found more bullets for the gun." Clark answered as he removed a couple of boxes from the locker. "And some shells for the rifle." He continued as he turned around. He walked over to Chloe and handed her the spare ammunition to put in her bag.

"Well that's convenient." She said flatly.

"Hey don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Lex said as she started reloading the barrel of the revolver. "Besides, this is a Police Station; where else would you find ammo?"

"Point taken." Chloe answered.

Clark reloaded the barrel of the rifle and slung it back over his shoulder. "So, on the hospital?" He asked. Lex nodded and Chloe shrugged. "After you." She said gesturing toward the door. Clark walked to the front door of the station and opened it cautiously. He looked left then right to ensure that nothing was lurking. He turned he head back to Lex and Chloe. "It's clear." He stated. Clark exited the building with Chloe close behind and Lex at the rear. The trio stepped onto the pavement of the main road again and resumed their journey to the hospital. Chloe indicated that there were to head south along the road and the hospital would be dead ahead.


	10. Alchemila Hospital

Chapter 9 Alchemilla Hospital part 1.

Chloe slowly opened the glass door of the entrance of Alchemilla Hospital. She held the pocket radio out ahead of her to ensure that there was no danger within. After a moment of total silence she understood that there was nothing waiting in the darkness to attack her. She gingerly stepped over the threshold and entered the dark stillness. She turned to address the boys waiting on the ash covered, concrete sidewalk behind her.

"Looks clear." She said before moving forward.

Lex entered next, the pupils of his eyes expanded as they tried to adjust to the lack of light within. Clark brought up the rear and let the glass door close behind him, taking pains not to make noise; he was still apprehensive about alerting anything inside the building to their presence. The trio lingered in the reception area tying to decide what to do next. They switched on their respective flashlights and began sweeping them around the room.

Like everything else they had explored in the gray version of the town it was deathly silent. It was hard for any of the trio to imagine this now abandoned place of healing as a bustling center for the treatment of illness. The beam of Chloe's flashlight fell onto a map pinned to a cork board behind the front desk. She made her way to it and proceeded to remove it.

"Found a map." She said as she spread it across the front desk counter. She scanned it and began trying to determine where they should start looking.

Lex moved to stand opposite her and leaned over the counter to study the map from for himself. "Gotta love this town, always a map when you need one." He said sarcastically.

Chloe shot him an annoyed look before returning her gaze to the paper on the counter. Clark lingered near the door waiting for some direction as to what to do next. After a moment he cleared his throat and spoke up. "You guys find any other clues?" He asked.

Chloe shook her head but didn't look up. "No, there's nothing marked on this one, and since the crazy lady at the church wasn't very forthcoming with info, I'm flying as blind as you two." She answered making a motion with her right hand between Lex and Clark.

"If you care what I think..." Lex began looking up from the map to Chloe. "It's best to take each floor one at a time and conduct a thorough search." He was feeling more than a little irritated that Chloe was relying more on her instinct and less on his intelligence.

Chloe huffed and looked up to meet Lex's gaze, but before she could retort there was a loud bang that emanated from the end of the hallway beyond the reception area. The heads of the trio immediately snapped in the direction of the sound. "That sounded like a..." Chloe began.

"Like a gun shot." Clark finished before bounding down the corridor toward the source of the noise. Lex immediately took off after him. Chloe quickly stuffed the map into her bag and took off on the heels of the other two.

"Clark wait!" Lex called out as he caught up with his boyfriend. Clark had stopped in front of a door at the end of the hallway. He was sure the sound of the gunshot had come from the room beyond. Clark turned to look at Lex with a questioning look on his face.

"What?" He asked. "That could have been Lana, or maybe someone else in trouble." Clark turned around again to reach for the knob on the door, but Lex shot out his hand to stop Clark from turning it.

"Just wait a minute and think." Lex hissed. He pulled the revolver out of the back of his pants and cocked the hammer back. "We don't know what's in there and it would be pretty stupid to just burst in there." Lex kept his voice low in case anything in the room beyond was listening.

Clark's brows knit in annoyance at Lex chiding him. "Lex now's the not the time to..."

Chloe who had been hovering behind them interrupted Clark. "Lex is right Clark." She said before stooping down to retrieve the kitchen knife she had stored in her left boot. She brought it up to her side and continued. "Better safe then sorry." Her nerves began to hum and her adrenaline peeked in anticipation of what lay just beyond the wooden door. She nodded to Clark. "Open it."

Clark reached for the knob and carefully turned it. Swinging it wide open the trio looked into the room. It appeared to be an examination room, standard to most hospitals. The tiled floors were the traditional white and black checkered style. The there were a couple of hospital beds with their respective curtains hanging from the ceiling above them. The was only a minimal amount of gray light pouring in from the windows but even in the low light their eyes could see a man sitting on a stool in the middle of the room. The man's head was down staring at the floor. He was dressed in a business suit, an exceptionally well tailored one at that. His visual aspect was quite incongruous with what was laying at his feet.

At the base of the stool lay one of the monster dogs. It was silent and immobile. A large puddle of black blood was quickly spreading out beneath it's prone body. It was then that Chloe caught sight of the gun in the man's hand. It was obvious that he had killed the creature himself. Her usual curiosity began to take hold. Who was this man? Was he another survivor? And, most importantly had he seen Lana? Clark decided to take a step forward and enter the room. The moment he did so the man immediately jumped to his feet. Though the light was dim the trio was able to get a good look at his face. His eyes were blood shot and sunken. The deep creases around his mouth gave him a jouled look. His closely cropped black hair was peppered with white and gray. It was difficult for any of the trio to determine his age, but most troubling was the fact that he had raised his gun and was aiming at the three of them.

Lex raised his own revolver instinctively. His focused honed in on the man standing before them, if the stranger intended to shoot, Lex wanted to be sure to get the drop on him first. "Drop the gun!" Lex shouted. Chloe felt herself involuntarily raising the kitchen knife in a defensive gesture. Logically she knew that it wouldn't save her from a gun shot, but she couldn't stop herself.

Clark threw his hands up in a gesture for everyone to calm down. "Wait! Don't shoot, we're not here to hurt you." He said trying to keep his voice calm and steady.

The stranger's eyes shot to Clark. "Who are you?" He demanded still keeping the gun raised and ready to fire.

Clark kept his hands up trying to assure the man that they were not a threat. "My name is Clark." He began. "This is Lex, and Chloe." He continued nodding in the direction of the other two. "We're here looking for someone. A friend of ours that disappeared several days ago. We think she's come here." Clark looked over to Lex. "Put the gun down Lex." He instructed.

Lex shot Clark a look as if to say _Not a chance in hell._ But before the situation got out of control the stranger lowered his weapon and slumped back onto the stool.

"Thank god." He sighed. "I thought I was the only one left in this town."

Lex slowly lowered his revolver back down to his side, but he kept his finger on the trigger in case the stranger got any ideas. Clark carefully advanced into the room, with Lex and Chloe following after. Chloe had brought her knife down as well, however she felt the man in front of them was no longer a threat. She approached the man and asked. "Do you work here?"

The man looked up to meet her gaze. "Yes. My name is Dr. Michael Kaufman. I'm the head Physician at this hospital."

Lex was still suspicious but let his finger off the trigger and put the revolver back in his back pocket. "Do you know what's going on in this town?" He asked.

Dr. Kaufman hung his head back down and shook it slowly from side to side. "No. I can't really say." He looked back up at the trio. "I was taking a nap in the Staff Room, when I woke up it was like this." He got up from his seat on the stool and wandered over to one of the windows on the opposite wall. "Everyone seems to have disappeared, and it's raining ashes." He turned away from the gray light of the window and leaned against the wall. "Something has gone seriously wrong. Have you seen these monsters?" He pointed to the dead creature on the floor. "Have you ever seen such aberrations, or even heard of such things?" At touch of anger seeped into his voice as he took a few steps toward the trio. "We all know creatures like this don't exist."

Lex felt his annoyance rising again. He was beginning to think this Dr. Kaufman was as loony as the woman they had met in the church. "Yeah anyway, like Clark said we're looking for someone." He said crossing his arms over his chest.

Chloe took the opportunity to speak up. "Her name is Lana, she's about 17, long black hair, we think she may have been born in this town." Chloe wasn't completely sure about that last bit, but if he'd been the chief doctor 17 years ago he may have known Lana's birth parents.

"She's missing?" Dr. Kaufman said, as if he was grasping what they had said for the first time.

"Yeah, she left our hometown in Smallville Kansas several days ago." Clark clarified. "We've tracked her here, but we haven't been able to find her."

"I'm sorry." Dr. Kaufman sighed. "But with all those monsters around down I doubt that she's..." He trailed off.

Chloe felt her heart sink. "So you haven't seen her." She said matter-of-factually.

"No." Dr. Kaufman replied. "I haven't seen anyone except for you three." His expression softened to something resembling sympathy. "I didn't mean to alarm you, it's just..." He couldn't seem to find any words to console the trio. He sighed again before getting up from the stool. "Well I need to be going. I can't just sit around doing nothing." He walked over to an examining table and picked up a black briefcase the trio hadn't noticed before. He started to walk toward the door when Chloe rushed forward to try and stop him.

"Wait you can't just leave!" She exclaimed. "There's danger out there. And, where could you possibly be going?"

Dr. Kaufman's expression changed again to sudden anger. "That's none of your concern!" He said sharply. "I just can't sit here in this place a minute longer. I'd rather take my chances out there." He motioned toward the window, and the ash covered streets outside. "Now move out of my way."

Chloe was stunned by his sudden mood swing. She moved out of his path. Clark and Lex followed suit and allowed Dr. Kaufman to pass between them. The doctor lingered for a moment in the door way and turned back to the trio. "I am sorry about your friend." He said his tone calmer now. "But, I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you." He turned around and headed out the door of the Examination Room. "Good luck." He called over his shoulder before heading down the hallway and out the front door of the Hospital.

"Well that was completely unhelpful." Lex said as he uncrossed his arms.

Chloe sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair. "Well, back to the task at hand I suppose." She said as she started to leave the room.

"So we're not even going to pretend to address what just happened?" Lex asked cocking an eyebrow.

Chloe turned to face Lex. "What's to address?" She asked in an irritated tone.

"Well for one..." Lex began. "Why did we just let the only survivor that could be of some use to us walk out? And two, if this town has been shut down since the 70's, how could he have just woken up and everything was like this?"

"Obviously this place has taken it's toll on the survivors." Chloe stated. "Between his lack of information and the ramblings of that lady in the church it's apparent that anyone we find here is suffering from extreme trauma."

Lex scoffed and rolled his eyes. "And how did you arrive at that pseudo-psychoanalysis?"

"Lex you're not helping." Clark chided. "Chloe might not be right about what's going on with these people, but she's right about what we should do, it's best to just keep of the search, we're bound to find something if we keep looking."

Lex gave up. There was no way he was going to win any arguments with Clark and Chloe. "Where do we start?" He said looking back over to Chloe.

Chloe pulled the map back out of her bag and scanned it. There's a set of offices across the hall, might as well start there." She said putting the map back. Before the trio moved to leave the Examination Room. The limited amount of light in the room began fading. They looked to the windows and watched as the gray light outside began to dissolve into shadows. The darkness was beginning to over take the town once more. Chloe felt her hairs stand on end as the last of the diffused light vanished leaving the room in total darkness.

"There goes the sun again." Lex said turning his flashlight back on.

"That means my powers are gone again." Clark lamented, switching his flashlight back on as well.

"If it's any indication of what's coming next, we need to get a move on." Chloe said motioning for the boys to follow her. The trio stepped out into black hallway and headed down several doors to the offices Chloe had identified on the map.

***I know these chapters are a bit short, but I'm breaking up the hospital segment into several parts. It's just easier that way considering it takes up a large portion of the game. Hope you enjoyed this. **


	11. Alchemila Hospital Part 2

Chapter 10 Alchemila Hospital Part 2

Chloe stopped in front of door down the hall from the Examination Room. A gilded plate with the words Chief Physician etched into its surface stared back at her. She figured if there was anything to find it would be found in Dr. Kaufman's office. She turned to look at the boys behind her. The darkness that had once again taken over the town made it impossible to see anything in the building without her flashlight. Clark looked at her as if to ask what she was waiting for. Lex took a look over his shoulder to make sure nothing was creeping up on them out of the shadows. Chloe put her focus back on the door and reached for the knob. She turned it and then swung the door open.

The trio entered the pitch black office and began sweeping the beams of their flashlights around. The office was as Chloe had expected. There were filing cabinets, a desk, bookshelves, and numerous papers lying on the surface of the desk. She looked to Clark and then to Lex.

"Search everything." She said before advancing forward to start looking though the papers on the desk.

Clark made his way to the file cabinets while Lex busied himself with one of the bookshelves. Chloe took a seat in the plush desk chair to start the chore of sorting through the paper work. Though after a few minutes of riffling through them she understood there was little there to go on. There were memos, simple files, and seemingly unimportant files relating to the running of the hospital. She had hoped to find some kind of clue however it seemed that she would have no luck. She gave up and put the papers back on the desks surface.

"Nothing useful here." She said glancing back up to see if the boys had better luck.

Clark turned to look at her from his position in front of the file cabinet. "Not much here either." He said flatly. "There are medical files here, but nothing I can decipher."

Lex spoke up but kept his attention focused on the books. "There are bunch of medical texts and journals here." He said. "Though I doubt we can use any of these." He stopped searching and turned to face the other two. "Guess it's a bust."

Chloe moved to get up from the desk and try another room but when she stood up her foot scrapped against something that made a crunching sound. She looked down and aimed her flashlight at the floor. The crunching sound had been broken glass. Chloe noticed that a glass vile had broken and it's contents had spilled all over the floor. It was a viscous fluid that was an unsettling bright red. She stooped down and put two fingers into the substance. Bringing her fingers up closer to her face she rubbed the substance between them. It was sticky, but she was fairly certain it wasn't blood.

"What is that stuff?" Clark asked. He had walked over to the desk and was staring at the liquid on Chloe's fingers.

"I'm not sure." She said still studying the substance. She looked back down at the shattered vile. "But I get the feeling that this glass was broken on purpose."

"What makes you say that?" Lex pipped up joining Clark and standing by his side.

"I don't know." Chloe admitted. "It's just...it seems so deliberate. I think someone was trying to destroy some evidence." She became aware that there was a portion of the shattered vile that still contained a small amount of the red liquid. She quickly looked around for something that she could pour it into. Scanning the surface of the desk she found a discarded test tube with a rubber stopper. She swiped it up and then poured the remaining fluid into the test tube. Placing the rubber stopper back in place she slipped into her bag.

"Why are you saving it?" Lex asked puzzled.

"It might come in handy." Chloe said as she wiped the fluid on her fingers onto her jacket. "Or at the very least we should try to figure out what it is." Deciding they had discovered all they could in the office Chloe started heading back toward the door. "Let's keep looking elsewhere."

Lex and Clark turned to follow her, but when Clark's flashlight beam swept back across the room he noticed a metallic glint caught his eye. He walked over to a hook near the door and saw a large key ring with a single key hanging on it. He picked it up and shined the light directly on it. There was a thin piece of tape on the head of the key and written on it were the words Basement Key.

"What did you find?" Chloe asked as she came up behind Clark.

Clark turned around and held up the key on it's ring. "Basement key." He answered. "Maybe we should look there?" He asked looking between Chloe and Lex.

"That's as good a place as any." Chloe replied. "Any objections?" She said looking back at Lex.

Lex only shrugged in response. He didn't feel like making any snide comments at the moment. "Okay then." Chloe continued. "Let's go."

The trio exited the office and headed down toward the end of the hallway. Clark spotted the door labeled Basement and inserted the key into the lock. It turned easily and Clark opened the door to reveal a blackened staircase leading down. Taking the lead he started the decent. Chloe followed after with Lex bringing up the rear. Upon reaching the landing at the bottom Clark swept the beam of light from one end of the hall to another. There were three doors he could plainly see, as well as a set of sliding double doors to the elevator. Chloe and Lex stood close to him.

"Which one?" he said glancing over his shoulder at Chloe.

Chloe aimed her beam at the door directly across from where they were standing. The sign on it read Electrical Room. "Might as well try that one." She answered. "Maybe we can turn the power on in this place." She moved forward and took hold of the knob on the door. Fortunately it wasn't locked. She opened it and the trio stepped inside. There was a large generator attached to the opposite wall from the door, with numerous cables running up the wall and into the floors above. Dozens of breaker switches lay before them.

Clark stepped up to a row of switches and tested the first one. He switched it on, then off, then on again. It yielded no result. He tried the next one below it, again no result. "Don't think we're going to have any luck." He said turning back to Chloe and Lex. Lex's attention was distracted by a very faint glow coming from a red button on the circuit breaker. He walked over to the generator and stood in front of the dimly lit switch.

"What about this one?" He said glancing over at Clark.

Clark nodded. "Try it."

Lex pushed the glowing red button and there was an audible click. The was a humming sound as the generator powered to life. However, there was no sudden burst of lights to banish the darkness of the Electrical Room. Clark tried the switches on his side of the breaker again, but just as before, there was no change.

"Why didn't the lights come on?" He asked puzzled.

"Maybe it's only sending power to one part of the building." Chloe offered up.

"That's not how generators work." Lex said tersely.

"Do you have a better explanation?" Chloe countered.

Lex sighed. "No." He relented. "We'd better keep looking." He continued. "We'll just have to keep searching in the dark."

Chloe agreed that though it was an interesting development, they couldn't expect any further clues in the Electrical Room. She turned on her heal and headed back out the door with Lex and Clark in tow. She was going to check out the other two doors when a loud DING and the sound of doors opening caught her attention. She aimed the beam down to the end of the hallway and saw the elevator doors opening up. A dim overhead light illuminated its interior. It sat there doors opened wide as if it were waiting for the trio, almost beckoning them to step inside.

Chloe looked to the boys. "What do you think?" She asked.

Clark felt uneasy about stepping into the elevator. They had no idea where it would take them, and he wasn't convinced it wasn't some kind of trap. Though it did make searching each floor more convenient. "Might as well." He answered starting to walk toward the open doors.

Lex didn't like the idea either, but trying to convince the other two not to use the elevator would have been fruitless. "Of course." He muttered to himself. "Nothing else works, but the elevator does."

The trio cautiously stepped into the elevator cab and Clark found the panel of buttons designating the individual floors. His finger hovered over them momentarily. They had already been to the first floor so the second was the logical choice for continuing their search. He pressed the button marked 2, however the elevator remained motionless. He frowned and pushed it again, still no result.

"Okay." He said aloud. "Let's try 3." He pushed the button marked 3, but to his annoyance the elevator still refused to budge. "What the hell?" He exclaimed flustered. "This thing has power but none of the buttons work."

"Did you try all of them?" Chloe asked glancing over at the panel. 

"Of course I did." Clark responded. "There's only 3 floors right?"

Lex turned his attention to the panel of buttons. "Then why are there four buttons?" He asked pointing at the button marked 4.

"What?" Clark exclaimed turning back to look at the panel. To his astonishment there were now four buttons where there had only been three a second ago. "But, there were only three there a second ago." He said confused. "I swear." He glanced back over at Chloe.

"It's okay Clark." Chloe said reassuringly. She didn't know if the button appeared out of thin air, or if Clark just hadn't noticed it the first time, but either way it was there now and it seemed to be their only option. "Just press it." She instructed.

Clark relaxed his frown and pushed the button to the fourth floor. The elevator doors slowly closed and there was a slight shift in the gravity of the cab as the elevator began to rise. The trio stayed close together as the cab rose through the shaft climbing slowly up to the fourth floor. They had switched off their respective flashlights and waited for the cab to come to a halt. Chloe wasn't sure if it was just her imagination or if the cab was simply moving incredibly slow but it seemed to be taking a long time for them to reach their destination.

"Is it just me or is..." She started, though she didn't get to finish her sentence as the loud wail of a siren invaded the elevator cab. It was the same tell-tale siren they had heard twice before, and a stab of cold fear overtook the trio as they realized what was coming next.

"Oh shit not again!" Chloe cried as the siren's wail began to grow louder. The sound of it's mournful countenance assaulted the trio's eardrums. Chloe felt her head begin to throb. She groaned and put her hands to her ears. Her flashlight crashed to the floor of the cab but the pain in her head made it impossible to focus on anything else. Lex had actually collapsed to the floor and was writhing in agony at the pain shooting through his body. His hands were clapped over his ears in a vain attempt to block out the droning of the siren. Clark was attempting the same but the roar inside his skull had caused him to loose balance and he fell back onto his haunches. His eyes were screwed shut and he bared his teeth in a painful grimace. Chloe was summoning all her will to resist the darkness that was crowing the edge of her vision. But, despite her greatest effort the pain became too overwhelming.

She felt her feet go out form under her and she slammed into the floor of the elevator cab. She stared up into the dim light above her for a few seconds before her vision blurred and then went black. The sound of the siren still reverberated around the trio in spite of their motionless bodies lying on the floor of the cab.

_**Interlude**..._

Chloe found herself suddenly standing on the streets of Silent Hill. She looked all around her but she didn't recognize anything. She realized she must be somewhere they hadn't discovered before. Though instead of the gray mist and the ash covered concrete she was standing on the grated floors of the other-verse. There was a row of shops setup across the metallic street opposite her. There was a light rain falling all around her and she noticed a line of torches blazing where there would have been street lamps. The buildings on the other side of the street looked as if they had been scorched by fire. Their facades were blackened and rusted. Their glass windows were broken or boarded up. Chloe squinted in the fitful light of the torches but she could see a young woman slowly walking toward the buildings. She could only see the girl from the back, but it looked like the girl she had seen back at the school. Was it Lana? Chloe tried to follow after the girl, but she seemed unable to move forward.

"Lana?!" She called out to the girl. However the young woman did not turn nor even slow her pace, she simply continued walking.

"Lana wait!" Chloe called out again. She desperately willed herself to move, but it was if her legs would not follow her mental commands.

A moment later the girl stepped over the curb of the grated road and walked into the dark doorway of one of the shops. Chloe wanted to chase after her but it was obvious that something was not allowing her to. She looked up above the doorway of the shop and saw that the only thing on the building's facade that had not been destroyed was a large sign that read Green Lion Antiques. Chloe didn't have time to wonder what it all meant before the light of the torches began to fade. Her breathing hitched as the light was extinguished and inky blackness consumed her once more.

**Hope you enjoyed the second part. The next couple of chapters might take me a little time as it's a little tricky to work out the details but still keep up the continuity of the game. Let me know what you think. **


	12. Insidious

Chapter 11 Insidious

Chloe felt herself returning to consciousness. The pain in her head was gone, but she felt a panic take hold as she became fully awake. There was total darkness surrounding her. She allowed her fevered mind to worry for a moment if she had gone blind. She cleared her throat and called out in an apprehensive voice. "Clark...Lex?"

She heard something stirring a few paces from her. There was a grunt and then Lex answered her. "Yeah, I'm still here. What about you Clark?"

There was the scrapping sound of Clark's boots against the floor of the elevator cab as he started to stand up. "I'm okay." He answered.

His flashlight was still clutched in his hand and he switched it on. The beam of light allowed Chloe and Lex to find their own flashlights and switch them on. The trio was still inside the cab of the elevator though the doors now stood open revealing the lobby beyond. As Chloe had feared the cry of the siren had brought them to the nightmare world. The walls were now rusted and scorched black by fire. The floor of the cab was now a metal grate. There were several chains hanging from the ceiling, was steam rising from numerous vents. The whole scene reminded Chloe of some industrial version of hell.

Chloe's mind was also troubled by the dream or possibly the vision she had while she was unconscious. She didn't know if it was just the machinations of a vivid imagination, or if Lana was attempting to send her some kind of message. Lex took notice of the worried expression on her face.

"Chloe? What is it?" He asked.

His question snapped her out of her mental cloud. She shook her head. "I'm not sure." She replied. "I may have been dreaming, but I think I saw Lana again. This time she was headed into a store front somewhere in the town."

Clark looked down at the floor of the cab for a moment in thought. He didn't want to doubt his best friend, but after everything they'd been through he couldn't help but be cynical. "We'll have to worry about it later." He said resolutely. "For now let's press on." Clark noticed that whatever power they'd managed to bring to the building was gone now. They were back at square one, searching in total darkness.

Chloe got up from the floor of the cab and Clark helped Lex to stand. The trio aimed their flashlight beams into the lobby outside the cab. There was a large set of double doors about 10 paces or so at the end of the room. "Roads go ever on." Chloe said. She wasn't sure where she had heard that before, but it seemed to be the only thing she could say at a moment like this. She stepped out into the lobby.

Lex didn't bother to make a retort he simply followed after her with Clark behind him. Chloe stood in front of the double doors, more than slightly afraid to press on. There was no telling what was beyond them and no way of knowing what dangers were awaiting them. However, they couldn't turn back, the only way out was forward. Mustering up the remnants of her courage she pushed on the double doors and swung them wide open. The hallway beyond was much like the rest of the building just as dismal, and just as pitch black.

The trio cautiously advanced. Each of them had a feeling of trepidation deep in their guts. Several paces into the hallway they saw a long hallway to the right with numerous doors on either side. Metal plates with the respective room numbers adorned each of them. Chloe didn't relish the idea of searching room by room, but they needed to thorough. She was about to pull out the map again when a shrill whine emitted from the pocket radio attached to her bag. Chloe's pulse immediately speed up. Her breathing quickened and she began to look frantically around her. Clark felt his blood run cold as he swept his flashlight beam around the corridor searching for the creature that was surely causing it to react. Lex pulled the revolver from his back pocket and his senses when into overdrive as he prepared to kill anything that lept out of the shadows at them.

As Chloe swept her beam around in a desperate attempt to make sure nothing caught her off guard it fell onto a large shape lumbering out of the darkness. It was the size of a human adult and it shuffled, dragging its feet as it went. She saw a shock of brown hair, and the white of lab coat. Chloe strained her eyes to better see what was coming at her and then widened them in horror as she realized that a woman that looked like a nurse was shambling toward her with a large meat clever clenched in her left hand. Chloe gasped and backed away closer to Clark and Lex. The nurse creature advanced and the trio could see that she was slumped over apparently pulled down by the weight of something attached to her back.

A bulbous, cancerous looking blob was fastened to the back of the woman. It pulsated as if it had a heartbeat. It was covered in a black, resinous fluid that spewed forth in fresh spurts with each pulse. Chloe felt a shiver race down her spine at the sight of it. The woman creature moaned pitifully before lurching at the trio. Chloe sprang backward against the wall, while Lex and Clark each took aim with their weapons. Clark stood rigid with the riffle squarely aimed at the nurse but his humanistic sensibilities urged him to try and stop the woman without killing her.

"Stay where you are!" He commanded. However, the woman creature only lurched forward again slashing with the cleaver. Clark managed to back up out of its path causing the cleaver to only cut the air in front of him.

Lex wasn't going to waste time trying to find a diplomatic solution. He fired two shots directly into the body of the nurse. The creature cried out and staggered back, but it appeared the bullets were not going to deter her as she shuffled forward again. Clark became aware that when she lurched forward again the mass on her back pulsated again. It was as if the thing on her back was was causing her to move. He set his jaw and aimed the riffle directly as the tumor. One shot from the hunting riffle blasted straight through the cancerous mass blowing it to pieces. The nurse creature let out a final painful wail and fell to the floor. She remained silent and prone, and the static from the pocket radio subsided. Lex gingerly stepped forward and kicked at the woman's arm with his foot. She didn't stir. He lowered the revolver, she was apparently dead.

"We killed her." Clark said, a touch of sadness in his voice.

"No." Lex replied. "I don't think we did." He stooped down to flip the woman over. When the trio was able to get a good look at the front of her they could see that her face was ashen gray. There was a waxy sheen to her skin and her eyes were shriveled and deeply sunken in. "She was dead before we shot her." Lex was certain of it. He returned the revolver to his back pocket.

"Well at least we didn't just commit homicide." Chloe said. As she peeled herself off the wall. She joined Clark and Lex as they stood over the lifeless body of the nurse. "There could be more of them roaming the floors." She looked between the two boys. "Let's take one room at a time."

She turned to walk over to room 401. She tried the knob but it wouldn't turn, apparently it was locked. "One down." She said to herself. She moved down to 402, it took refused to open. And so and so on she tried each door however each one was locked with no indication that they could be opened. As she reached the end of the hallway there were only two doors left. The door marked 406 and the door marked Stairwell. She reached for the knob to 406 but a noise from the other side of the door caused her to stop in her tracks. She strained to hear what was in the room beyond but the thick oak of the door made it difficult to determine.

"Guys, over here." She said calling back to the boys.

Clark and Lex moved to join Chloe at the door to 406. Clark and could hear something faint beyond the door as well. "What is that?" He whispered.

Lex leaned in closer to the wooden surface of the door. "It sounds like...wings flapping." He said his brows knitting in confusion.

The trio looked at each other uncertain if they should open it. After a seconds hesitation Chloe reached for the knob, turned it and opened the door. The moment the door opened the mysterious sound abated. The trio entered the room and saw that it was empty save for a lone birdcage standing in the center of the room. Each of them could have sworn that they had heard the flapping of a birds wings, however there was no bird within the cage at the center of the room. Chloe walked forward to stand in front of the cage and shined the beam of her flashlight into it. Instead of a bird there was an old VCR video tape hanging by a string inside it.

"Is that a video tape?" Clark asked as he approached the cage.

"Looks like it." Chloe answered as she began looking for an opening to the cage. She circle around it trying to find a door or some kind of hatch so she could reach in and grab the tape. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be anyway of getting into the cage.

"How are we going to get it out?" Lex mused.

"The bars look pretty rusted. Maybe we could smash it open." Chloe suggested. "Just try not to damage the tape."

Clark shoved his flashlight into his pocket and lifted the birdcage off of its stand. He lifted up level with his head. "Here goes." He said before he slammed it down onto the grated floor. It made a loud CLANG and there was a breaking sound as the rusted bars shattered like glass. Chloe stooped down and grabbed the video tape out of the remains of the cage. She held it up and examined it to make sure it was still intact. From what she could see it was undamaged. She slipped into her bag along with the other objects they had collected.

"Great now we just need a working TV and VCR." Lex said allowing the sarcasm to slip back into his voice.

Chloe ignored him and looked to Clark. "Come on, there's three more floors to go." The trio exited 406 and made a b-line for the stairwell. One flight down the came to a stop at the landing to the third floor. The stepped through another set of double doors with Chloe leading the way, the pocket radio held out in front of her. When there was no static reverberation they pressed on undaunted. As before there was a long hallway with many doors. They tested each door one by one. The first two doors they tried on the third floor were locked. However when they reached 303, the knob turned. The room beyond was larger than 406 indicating it was a double. There were two hospital beds inside their cloth mattresses were stained with grime and Chloe noticed that they had strapped attached to them, most likely for restraining patients. Upon further inspection she noticed an antiquated television on a night stand in one corner.

"There's a TV here!" She exclaimed. Before rushing over to it. 

"Chloe there's no guarantee it works." Lex stated following after her.

"Try it anyway." Clark encouraged her.

Chloe ran her fingers along the edges of it searching for a button to switch it on. Her fingers grazed a raised knob on the left side of it and she pressed it. The screen flickered to life. The screen was dim and there was a great deal of white static broadcasting but it was working. She looked below to see there was a VCR. She pulled the tape out of her bag, and flipped it over right side up to insert it into the machine. She carefully placed it into the slot and the machine grabbed the tape and finished the job.

The screen went black for a moment before it began to play the contents of the tape. The trio crowded around the small screen and squinted trying to make out the images that were playing before them. The picture was grainy and there were several distorting lines that waved through the image, but Chloe could make out a blond woman sitting beneath a dim lamp that hung over her head. Her face was hidden in shadow but the trio could see that she was wearing a white nurses uniform with a red sweater over it. The voice of the woman was difficult to understand through the warping of the tape but the trio was able to make out a few words at a time.

_Getting a pulse, but...skin is all...Even when I change...Blood and puss just start oozing through...Why!...What is...that child alive! _

Then the tape devolved into static again. Chloe pressed the eject button on the VCR but the tape remained lodged in place. It seemed that they could not expect to take it with them again. She decided not to fret over it, they had at least one more clue to work with. She switched the TV off and the trio stood up. Chloe turned to face the boys.

"What do think that's all about?" Clark asked.

"No idea." Chloe answered. "But whoever she is she's definitely been through something."

Lex had been going along without complaint for a while now but now he felt he had to say something.  
>"How does this help us find Lana, or figure out what to do next?" He said exasperatedly. "We don't know anything more than we did hours ago. All we have to go on is a weird video tape, and the cryptic words of a loony old woman."<p>

For the first time since arriving in Silent Hill, Chloe was beginning to share Lex's doubts. She had to admit that he had a point, so far they had just gone from location to location searching for clues though they were still no closer to finding Lana. But she couldn't bring herself to give up yet.

"That's why we need to keep going." She said trying to calm Lex down. "I have this feeling that the more we search the more things will start to come together."

Lex's shoulders relaxed and he threw up his head in heavy huff. After his nerves began to calm he looked from Chloe to Clark. "Okay so on to the second floor then?"

Clark and Chloe nodded in unison. Then the trio made their way out of 303 and back to the stairwell. Another flight down they tried the double doors to the second floor. However the doors were locked tight. Clark tried pushing his weight against them in an attempt to break the lock but it didn't work. They didn't want to waste time trying to get through so they continued down the stair well to the first floor. To the trio's dismay those doors also refused to open.

"That just leaves the basement then." Chloe said pointing her flashlight back down the stairwell. "Back to the beginning."

The trio continued down the stairwell onto the landing of the basement level. Only now the basement was different. In the gray world there had been three door and the elevator, but here in the otherverse there was only one door. On it's rusted and charred surface was a plate spelling out Storage Room. Knowing they had no other recourse the trio advanced down the dark hallway toward the door. The temperature had risen during their decent. Chloe worried that they might encounter another monster at any moment. Remembering the events before encountering the large lizard in the basement of the school she preceded with caution. There was more steam rising out of the grate in the floor than in other parts of the hospital creating something of a haze in the beams of their flashlights.

Approaching the door Chloe reached for the knob and turned it. Swinging the door wide open the trio entered the Store Room. There were dozens of metal shelves arranged in a grid pattern throughout the large room with the remnants of medical supplies festering on them. There were bottles of chemicals, empty boxes of bandages, empty vials littering their surfaces. Clark and Lex began looking through their contents while Chloe searched the perimeter of the room. After only a few moments they started to wonder if they would find anything. Lex abandoned trying to find something useful on the shelves and began walking along the south wall. As he swept his flashlight around the beam fell on a large hatch on the floor. He stooped down to inspect it and noticed that there had been a lock on it, however it had been conspicuously broken.

"Chloe, Clark." He called over to the other two. "Take a look at this."

Chloe and Clark joined Lex by the hatch. "Where do you suppose this leads?" Lex asked.

Chloe pulled the map of the hospital out of her bag and looked it over. "I don't know." She said still staring at the map. "There's no sub-basement on here."

"Well judging from the lock, they didn't want anyone snooping around down here." Lex stated before grabbing the edge of the hatch. "Clark help me lift this up." He instructed.

Clark grabbed a hold of the other side of the hatch and helped Lex lift it up all the way. Beneath the hatch was another staircase. Chloe's flashlight beam shined down into the hole and steps leading down into the darkness. "Fortune favors the brave right?" Chloe said looking over to Clark. He smiled weakly and nodded. Chloe planted one foot firmly on the fist step and then the other as she began walking down into the blackness beneath her. Clark followed after her and Lex took up the rear position. Together the trio journeyed into the depth of the hospital uncertain what they would find next.


	13. Lisa

Chapter 11 Lisa

Chloe reached the bottom of the mysterious staircase and waited at the bottom floor for a moment allowing Clark and Lex to catch up. The trio aimed their flashlight beams into the darkness to see another long corridor ahead of them. There was a large metal door at the end of the hall with a small picture window set into it. It reminded Lex of the type of door one would see in a mental institution. A horrible idea crossed Chloe's mind as she stared at the door. She hopped that no one was being kept in that room.

Throwing her shoulders back she moved down the hallway toward the door. Clark and Lex followed closely after. When she reached the door she reached for the handle. She pulled against it but the thickness of the metal proved two heavy for her. She looked over her shoulder to Clark. Getting the hint he gently moved her out of the way and grabbed a hold of the handle with both hands. Pulling with all his strength the door creaked open on rusty hinges.

The trio advanced into the room see that it was empty, save for a single hospital bed, a night stand, and IV bag hanging from an IV pole. As Chloe approached she noticed that there was still fluid in the bag. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at it. _This IV was has been recently used._ She thought. Lex shined the beam of his flashlight onto the bed to see that it was stained in streaks of blood and pus. The blood was still red indicating that it was fresh. It became apparent to the trio that in fact someone had been staying in the room and further; they had only recently left.

"Whoever was here, they were only just recently taken out." Chloe stated turning to face Clark and Lex.

"The question is who..." Lex trailed off as something caught his attention.

He aimed his flashlight at the nightstand and noticed an eight by ten portrait sitting in a wooden frame on the tables surface. He picked it up to better inspect it. His brows furrowed in confusion at the face staring back at him from the aged black and white paper. His mind reeled at the image of Lana peering out at him from across the years from the image in his hands. His mouth actually dropped open as he continued to stare at the picture in disbelief.

"Lex what is it?" Clark asked concerned.

Lex didn't answer he only held out the photo frame to Clark. Clark took it and Chloe moved to his side so they could both inspect it. Chloe's eyes widened in shock at the girl in the photograph. "Lana?!" She said in surprise.

Clark shook his head. "That's not possible." He said trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "This photo had to be taken well over 17 years ago, this couldn't be her."

"Then why does she look exactly like her." Chloe insisted, pointing directly at the girls face for emphasis. "That is Lana!"

"But look at the writing in the bottom corner." Clark said defending his point. "It says Alessa."

Chloe looked at the handwritten name in the bottom corner of the photograph and indeed the name written there was Alessa. Her mind immediately flashed back to the journal she had found in the desk back at the school. Who was this Alessa? Was she the girl Chloe had seen twice now? She felt like the mysteries of the town were only getting deeper, and she still had no explanations. Her frustrations were beginning to get the better of her. She felt tears of anger begin to prick at the corners of her eyes.

"I...I just don't get any of this." Chloe said turning away for a moment to try and collect herself.

"Maybe it's Lana's birth mother." Lex offered up as a solution to the enigma. "That might explain the resemblance."

Chloe's eyes had cleared and she turned back to the face the boys again. "That's one hell of a resemblance." Chloe said wiping a tear from her cheek. "And what about that?" She asked pointing to the bed. "If Lana's birth mother was in this room, she was taken out of here in a hurry."

"Okay, okay." Clark said trying to calm the situation down again. "Whatever this means, we're not going to figure it out just standing around. But I think we should take this with us."

Clark didn't want to take the photograph and the frame together as it seemed impractical. And, it appeared there was no way to take the back off of the frame. So the only solution he could think of was to break the glass. He threw the frame against the grate of the floor. There was a crash and the sound of the glass shattering. He stooped down to the fish the picture out of the glass and the glint of metal reflected the light of the beam. He scooped up both the picture and the metal object, which turned out to be a key. A piece of tape was strewn across its head like the Basement Key. Only this time the words written on it were Main Office. Clark held up the key for Lex and Chloe to see.

"It's the Main Office key." He said.

"Chloe where is the Main Office?" Lex asked looking over at her.

Chloe pulled out the hospital map from her bag and scanned it. "It's back on the first floor." She answered.

"Then that's the next stop." Lex said heading toward the metal door. He found it ironic that he was actually taking the lead in the search this time, but he'd finally decided to let go of his control issues and stay focused on the task at hand.

Clark folded up the photograph and shoved into his pocket before following after him. Chloe glanced back at the hospital bed for a second before following the boys out of the room. One way or another she was going to get the bottom of this epic mystery, and come hell or high water she was going to find Lana. The trio returned to the hallway and headed back up the stairwell back into the basement storage room. Seconds later they were back on the main landing of the basement floor.

"Let me have the key Clark." Chloe said turning to him.

Clark offered up the office key to her. It was obvious to him that Chloe's burst of anger in the strange room of the sub-basement had given her fresh resolve. She palmed the key before slipping it into the pocket of her jacket. 

"Okay, move out." She said taking the lead position up the basement stairs. Clark was behind her and Lex took up the rear. As she reached the top of the stairs she opened the door to the basement and stepped out onto the first floor. But, before Clark or Lex could follow after her a sudden bast from some unseen force slammed the door behind her. She was knocked off balance and nearly tripped before spinning around to see the closed door staring back at her. 

"Clark! Lex!" She screamed reaching for the knob of the door. She turned the knob furiously but it refused to budge. Panic seized her at the realization that Clark and Lex were now trapped in the basement. Her breath hitched and her heart raced as she pounded on the door hoping that the boys would answer her.

"Clark answer me! Lex are you okay!" She called out. However to her horror there was no reply from beyond the door. She shoved her weight against it trying in vain to force it open but there was no change. She pounded her fists in anger against the door willing it to open. She felt fresh tears stream down her face as she exhausted herself pounding her fists against the immovable door. She slumped to her feet sliding down to the base of the door. She put a hand to her mouth trying to hold back the sobs that were issuing forth from her. _What am I going to do?_ She thought.

She had no idea if Clark and Lex were okay. Maybe they had fallen down the stairwell when that strange force had shut the door behind her. They could be injured, or unconscious. Either way they had been left behind and now she was alone in the dark, and scared out of her mind. She angry wiped the tears that were streaming down her cheeks, as she tried to think of a way out of this situation. It seemed to her that the only way of getting things back to the gray world was to solve the puzzle in front of her. When they had faced the lizard creature back and school and killed it the nightmare had ended. If she didn't find a way to bring it to an end on her own they could remain stuck in this otherverse. But what if Clark and Lex couldn't hold out long enough for her to find the resolution. She felt her sobs subside as she realized she had to press on. She prayed that Clark and Lex would be okay wherever they were.

She felt her breathing return to normal and she rose to her feet. She still had the key to the Main Office, the last clue they had discovered in the room of the sub-basement; and at the moment it was the only thing she had to go on. However, the idea of continuing on alone terrified her. She aimed the flashlight beam down the hallway and looked to the pocket radio attached to her bag. There was no static so she had to trust that there was nothing lurking in the darkness to attack her. She bent down to retrieve the kitchen knife from her boot and gripped the handle tight. If something was going to spring out at her she wanted to be ready. Shutting out all of her troubling thoughts she pressed on down the hall to the main lobby.

Upon rounding the corner she spotted the door behind the reception counter. The plaque on it was exactly what she had expected. Main Office stared back at her. Chloe had never been a religious woman, but she found herself saying a small prayer to anyone that might be listening. She desperately wanted to find the answers to the questions burning in her mind, and find a way to get back to Clark and Lex. She slowly raised the key and inserted it into the lock. One quick turn counterclockwise and it clicked open. She held her breath and opened the door. She stepped across the threshold and was shocked to see a lone light dispelling the darkness within. A low hanging overhead lamp dimly illuminated the office. There was something else strange; the interior of the office was drastically different from the rest of the hospital. It was...normal. The floor was tile instead of grates, there were no chains or vents, only desks, chairs, and bookshelves. Chloe frowned trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Why was this room spared from the nightmare reality? She gingerly moved into the room allowing the door to close quietly behind her.

She didn't know what to look for, but she had the feeling that she had been lead to this room. As she approached one of the desks she heard a shuffling noise from the shadowy area of the room. She felt her adrenaline rush and heart lept up into her throat. She frantically looked around trying to make sure that nothing caught her off guard. She held the knife up, ready to strike at any moment. Then suddenly something darted out of the shadows and grabbed a hold of her in a tight grip. She cried out as the weight of whatever had jumped out at her caused her to loose her footing. She stumbled backward onto the floor with the thing on top of her. The fall caused her to loose grip on the knife and if flew out of her hand and skidded across the floor. She struggled to get the dark shape on top of her off. As her pupils dilated to compensate for the shadows surrounding her she saw that the figure on top of her was a human.

Long blond hair fell around the woman's face. Secured to the top of the woman's head was a white nurses cap. She was wearing a standard nurses uniform with a red sweater over it. Chloe's eyes widened as she recognized the red sweater. It was the woman from the video tape. For a split second Chloe worried that the woman had been possessed by one of the large misshapen blobs that had overtaken the nurse on the fourth floor. But upon inspection Chloe could see that the woman looked alive. Her skin was flushed with pink and her eyes were clear although she looked as scared as Chloe's. The woman on top of her sighed in relief and climbed off.

"Oh thank god, I thought you were one of those things." The woman said. She offered a hand and helped Chloe up off of the floor.

"Sorry about tackling you." She apologized.

Chloe got back to her feet and brushed herself off. "It's okay." She said reassuring the woman that she was alright. She was able to see the woman more clearly now that they were standing closer to the light. She looked young. Older than Chloe but she couldn't be a day older than twenty five at most. Chloe broke the moment of silence by asking. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled a little, clearly she was glad to see another human face. "My name is Lisa, Lisa Garland." She answered. "And you are?"

"Chloe Sullivan." Chloe replied. "I'm here with a couple of friends looking for another friend."

Before Chloe could add anything further Lisa spoke again. Her voice took on an edge of fear and panic. "Chloe, tell me what's happening here. I must have gotten knocked out, when I came to everyone was missing." Her breath hitched and she forced back a sob. "God it's so awful."

Chloe frowned in confusion. Clearly Lisa didn't know anything more than she did. But she had to wonder if Lisa knew about the video tape. Chloe decided to hold off telling Lisa about it until she learned more. After everything she'd been through she couldn't be sure that she could trust this Lisa. She chose to play it cool with this one.

"I...I'm not sure." Chloe offered up to Lisa. "I was hoping you could tell me."

Lisa shook her head. "It's like some kind of living nightmare." She said hugging herself. "I can't find Dr. Kaufman or any of the other staff. It's like everything has been sucked into some kind of alternate universe."

So Lisa knew Dr. Kaufman. Well that was to be expected he was the chief physician after all, though Chloe didn't mention that they had run into him earlier. She couldn't be sure why she felt the need to keep things from Lisa, but she was following her instincts. Then Lisa spoke up again breaking Chloe out of her thoughts.

"You said you came here with other people?" She asked.

"Yeah, my friends Clark and Lex." Chloe clarified. "We're looking for someone. Lisa have you seen a girl around here? She's my height, long black hair, seventeen years old?"

Lisa cast her eyes to the floor as she thought. "A seventeen year old girl...no I can't say I have." She answered. "I was unconscious all this time, I'm sorry." Lisa looked genuinely sorry that she couldn't give Chloe any help.

"It's okay." Chloe said sympathetically. Even if Lisa couldn't give any clues about where Lana might be maybe she would know about the room in the sub-basement. "Do you know anything about all the weird stuff in the basement?"

"No, why is there something down there?" Lisa asked her brow knitting in confusion.

Now it was Chloe's turn to be confused. How could Lisa not know about the basement? "You mean you don't know?" She asked looking Lisa dead in the eyes. "Aren't you a nurse here?"

Lisa nodded. "I am, but all the nurses that work here are under strict orders never to enter the basement Storage Room." She added.

Chloe sighed. She had been hoping that Lisa would be able to help her put some of the puzzle pieces together, but that seemed to be a false hope. Well at least she wasn't alone anymore. But she knew in the back of her mind she had to find a solution soon. Lisa leaned back to sit on the surface of the desk behind her.

"What was down there Chloe?" She asked.

Chloe wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to tell Lisa everything but there was a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her not to. However she had to tell Lisa something, she felt she owed this kind stranger that much at least.

"Well it was..." Chloe started but suddenly she felt faint. Her head started to swim and she felt weak. She stumbled forward and threw out a hand to grab the edge of the desk to steady herself. "I...what?" Chloe said weakly as she tried to will herself out the strange feeling. Her stomach turned and she felt nauseous. Her eyelids felt heavy and she was afraid that any minute she was going to pass out. Lisa jumped off the desk and rushed to her side.

"Chloe what's wrong? Are you okay?" She asked, concern heavy in her voice.

Chloe tried to answer Lisa but the feeling of dizziness was growing. She felt her knees go out and she collapsed to the floor. She felt Lisa's warm hand against her forehead. She could hear Lisa's voice echoing in her mind but she couldn't make out what the nurse was saying. Her vision darkened and the image of Lisa leaning over her blurred and then everything went black.

Chloe bolted upright. She inhaled sharply and blinked several times. Her vision cleared and she could see that she was still on the floor of the Main office, but her surroundings had changed back to the gray world. But there had been no siren this time. Somehow she had slipped back into the gray world without the chilling call of the siren making it happen. There was diffused light spilling in from the windows and now that she could clearly see everything around her she noticed that Lisa was gone. She picked herself up off the floor and looked all around the room.

"Lisa?" She called out but there was no reply. She felt worry prickling at the edge of her mind. Now not only had she lost Clark and Lex, but she had lost Lisa too. She had to fight with herself not to cry again. She was completely flustered with the entire situation. Chloe was beginning to think that she was loosing her mind. She snapped out of her funk when she heard a door open. She looked up and felt a sudden wave of relief as Clark and Lex walked into the office.

"Clark!" She exclaimed as she rushed toward him.

"Chloe!" He whooped as he grabbed her into a tight hug. They embraced for a moment before Clark released her. Lex didn't want to admit it out loud, but he was glad to see that Chloe was unharmed.

"What happened to you two?" Chloe asked looking from Clark to Lex.

"When the door slammed shut I lost my balance and I fell back into Lex." Clark explained. "We must have fallen down the stairs and been knocked out, because when we came to we were on the floor of the basement; and everything was back to this." He said motioning to the gray version of the town.

"We figured that you were headed to this room." Lex further explained. "So when we woke up we decided to look for you here."

"Are you both okay?" Chloe inquired.

Clark nodded. "When the town returned to this version my invulnerability came back, so I'm okay." He said.

Chloe looked to Lex. He shrugged. "A little banged up but nothing's broken, I'll be okay." He stated.

Chloe felt a genuine sense of relief. She had been so worried that something terrible had happened to them, she could breath easier knowing that were unharmed. Lex motioned with his hand around the room.

"Did you find anything?" He asked.

"Yeah." Chloe replied. "I found another survivor. Her name is Lisa, she's a nurse that works here."

"You found a nurse?" Clark said in disbelief

"There's more." Chloe continued. "She's the nurse from that video tape." Then she held up a hand to stop Clark from asking anymore questions until she was finished. "But don't get your hopes up. She doesn't know anymore than we do. She hasn't seen Lana and she had no idea about that room beneath the basement."

Lex pulled a face. "How could she not know about it?" He asked skeptically. "If she works here shouldn't she know about it?"

Chloe shook her head. "She said the staff is under strict orders not to enter the Storage Room." She replied. "So we're still without any clues."

Clark glanced around the room. "Well where is she now?" He asked.

Chloe shrugged. "I don't know. I was talking to her one minute and then I just passed out. When I woke up she was gone." She answered.

"What do you mean you just passed out?" Lex asked cocking a brow.

"I just felt sick all of sudden and fell to the floor. Then I woke up and you two found me." She said. "Why?"

Lex sighed. "Are you sure you didn't dream meeting this nurse?" He replied trying to keep his tone neutral.

Chloe felt her irritation rising again. "Lex I know what I saw." She said angrily. "I met a nurse named Lisa. She was scared and alone, and I don't know where she is now, but she was real, it wasn't some dream."

"Okay okay, I'm sorry" Lex said putting up his hands to calm her down. "It's just this place has been playing tricks on us. But, I believe you."

"So do I." Clark interjected. "Wherever she went hopefully we'll find her."

Chloe rubbed her eyes and then ran her hands through her hair. "I just want to know what the fuck is going on around here."

"You were too late." An unfamiliar voice called out from across the room. The heads of the trio snapped in the direction of the voice. Their eyes widened as they saw the strange woman from the church standing on the opposite side of the room. She stood clutching something in her hands. She was still wearing the same house dress, her feet still bare, and the black shawl still around her head.

"You!" Chloe exclaimed as she recognized the woman. "The woman from the church."

"Yes." The woman responded. "Dahlia Gillespie." She finally identified herself.

Gillespie. The name jogged Chloe's memory of the journal at the school again. Alessa's last name was Gillespie. Chloe turned to face the Dahlia dead on. "Okay lady." She started. "No more bullshit. What do you know? Tell me everything. I know you know what's going on here."

Clark and Lex stood quietly behind her their eyes glued to Dahlia waiting to see how the woman would answer.

"Darkness." Dahlia began, still clutching the object in her hands close to herself. "The town is being devoured by darkness." She opened her arms in some kind of grand gesture and continued speaking. "Strength must over come petty desire." She wrapped her arms around herself again and looked away from the trio as if she was hearing something they could not. "Childish sleep-talk!" She shouted. Then she returned her gray eyes to the three in front of her. "I knew this day would come." She finished.

Lex broke away from the group and moved a few paces toward Dahlia. "Okay lady you are seriously bat-shit!" He huffed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Dahlia flinched and took a step back but remained in the room. "Believe the evidence of your eyes!" She began again. "The other church in this town." She unclenched one hand and pointed a finger at the trio. "That is your destination. This is beyond my abilities, only you can stop it now."

She revealed the object she held in her other hand. It was another key, only from where Lex was standing he could see that it looked older than any other key they had found before. It seemed to be an antique. She placed the key on the surface of near by desk without removing her gaze from the trio.

"Have you not seen the mark on the ground?" Dahlia asked.

"The mark?" Clark asked with a frown. 

"I think she means the drawing we saw in the school courtyard." Chloe clarified without turning to look at Clark.

Dahlia nodded gravely. "It is the mark of Samael." She said drawing out the name as if to denote it had some great prominence. "Don't let it be completed." Dahlia turned and opened the door behind her.

"Oh no you don't!" Lex shouted as he made a motion to stop her but Clark grabbed a hold of his jacket to hold him back.

"Lex, forget her, there's no use trying to keep her here." He said, and in the next instant Dahlia was out of the room; the door slammed behind her.

Lex sighed and relented. He would have rather grab onto Dahlia and shake her until she told them the whole story but was apparent that would have been a fruitless effort. Dahlia was obviously completely crazy, but at least she had left another clue behind.

Clark released the sleeve of his jacket and Lex walked over to grab the key off the surface of the desk. He held it up to inspect it and noticed that there was a label attached to it on a thin string. The label read Green Lion Antiques. He turned back to Clark and Chloe.

"Green Lion Antiques." He said holding up the key. "Mean anything to you two?"

There was a flash of recognition in Chloe's eyes. "I know that place." She said. "When I saw Lana, or whoever she was, she was walking into Green Lion."

"You mean in your dream?" Lex asked trying to grasp what Chloe was saying.

"It wasn't a dream Lex!" Chloe snapped. "And it's obviously the next stop on this journey."

Lex put up his hands again as if he was surrendering. "Whatever you say." He said flatly.

Chloe ignored him and pulled out the map of the town. After looking it over for a minute or two she pointed the spot she was looking for.

"Here it is, Green Lion Antiques." She reiterated. "It's in the Resort District."

"This place has a resort?" Clark asked genuinely surprised.

"Apparently." Chloe responded. "It's near the lake."

"Then on to the Antique store." Clark said resolutely.

Chloe shoved the map back into her bag. The trio headed out the same door Dahlia exited and then through the front doors of the hospital. The rain of ash had returned. It fell into Clak and Chloe's hair and accumulated on the shoulders of Lex's jacket. As the walked down the road away from the hospital the gray fog surrounded them once more.

***Okay, this chapter was long, but my muse is going strong so the next chapter should be up soon. Enjoy and please review. **


	14. Flames of Sacrifice

Chapter 13 Flames of Sacrifice

It took the trio a good hour to get to the resort area of Silent Hill. They had followed the river all the way to the lake. Clark and Lex had to dispatch of a monster dog along the way but for the most part the way had been clear. The fog ahead of them began to clear as a small strip mall and shopping center came into view. Chloe wasn't certain where the Green Lion was among the stores, but if they had to look one by one she intended to find it.

She scanned the store front's one by one trying to spot the sign she was looking for. A few moments of scanning finally yielded the result she was looking for. A large sign above a darkened doorway read Green Lion Antiques.

"There it is." Chloe stated as she took off toward it. 

Clark and Lex followed suit and the trio stepped across the curb and onto the sidewalk in front of it. Lex approached the door and pulled the antique key from his pocket. He slipped it into the lock and turned it. Then reaching for the knob he opened the door to the small store. The trio walked in and had to turn their flashlights back on as the windows had been bored up and no light was aloud in. Before them lay a small room crowed with an assortment of furniture, nick-nacks, and other miscellaneous items. To the right was a glass display case with a counter top. Chloe made her way to stand behind the counter while Clark and Lex began rummaging through the items in the store.

The only items on the surface of the counter was an ancient cash register, and a shipment envelope. Chloe picked up the envelope and shined the beam of her flashlight onto it. There was only one address listed in it's center. It read Dahlia Gillespie, Proprietor Green Lion Antiques, Silent Hill, West Virginia. Chloe couldn't help but shake her head.

"Figures." She said aloud.

"What?" Clark asked looking up from his search to glance at her.

Chloe held up the envelope for Clark to see. "This is Dahlia's store." She answered.

That caught Lex's attention. So Dahlia had sent them to her own store. But, why? "So what did she want us to find here?" He asked.

Chloe shrugged. "No idea. But, keep looking." She replied.

Clark and Lex turned back to sorting through the items before them. But a few more moments of searching was yielding no results. There was only an assortment of junk, nothing worth examining. Lex moved over to a different corner of the room hoping to find something. As he walked over to a large wardrobe his beam swept across the floor beside it. His brow furrowed as he noticed that there were large scratches in the wooden floor. He stopped down to look more closely and his gaze shifted from the deep grooves to the wardrobe and back to the grooves again. Then he looked over to Clark.

"Clark, come over here." He said.

Clark left the pile of objects he was looking for and moved over to where Lex was standing. "What is it?" He asked.

Lex pointed to the groves on the floor. "I think this wardrobe has been moved."

Clark looked confused. "You mean like there might be something behind it?" He inquired.

Lex nodded. "Here get the on the other side of it." He directed.

Clark moved to the opposite side of the wardrobe and readied himself to push. Chloe had taken notice of what the boys were doing and walked over to stand in front of the wardrobe. Lex grabbed a hold of one side and then looked over to Clark.

"Ready? One, two, three." He said and then began pulling against it. Clark pushed on the other side and the wardrobe slid across the floor making a scraping sound as it moved. It revealed a hole in the brick wall behind it. It appeared that someone had tried to brick up a door but had not had the chance to finish in time. There was a hole about two feet high and two feet wide and beyond it another room. Chloe shined her flashlight into the hole to see that there was some kind of table with numerous items on it in the room beyond.

"Looks like Dahlia was trying to hide something." Lex said as he stooped down to Chloe's level. He noticed how small the hole was, far too small for someone like himself or Clark to squeeze through. But there was still light in the town outside, which mean Clark still had his powers. Lex looked up at him. "Clark can you break through this so we can get to the other side?"

Chloe held up a hand to stop Clark before he complied with Lex's request. "No wait, I'm small enough to squeeze through. Just let me go." She said.

"Why?" Lex retorted. "Clark can just smash his fist through and..."

Chloe cut Lex off. "It's just easier for me to go." She answered. "I'll just slip in, see what's in there and slip out."

Lex looked back to Clark. Clark shrugged as if to say let her have her way. Lex straightened up and then held his hand out toward the hole. "Feel free."

Chloe shrugged off her jacket and dropped her bag on the floor to make it easier for her to fit through. Then while still in a crouch she shimmied her way through the hole in the wall. She got a few scratches as her skin scrapped against the brick and mortar but she made it through. She turned to look back at the boys.

"Hand me my flashlight." She said holding out her hand.

Clark slipped it into her open hand. Then she turned and stood to her full height and inspected the room . It was a narrow room with at least fifteen paces between where she was standing and the table against the opposite wall. She walked up to it and gazed at its contents. There was a large gilded goblet at the center of the alter with the same strange symbol Chloe had seen in the school courtyard and in the Crimson Tome. Dahlia had identified it as the mark of Samael, but Chloe didn't know exactly what that meant. There were two idols on opposing sides of the goblet both carved from some kind of black stone. They were carved into some kind of creature with a vague human shape. But as Chloe peered more closely at them she could see that they had grotesque faces with large horns protruding from their heads and great bat like wings sprang from their backs. It made Chloe shiver slightly to look at them.

There were other items on the alter, but they seemed to be mundane random objects. Chloe wondered if they were some kind of offerings to whatever god this alter was erected to. However, she didn't feel that there was anything on the alter worth taking with her. And there was no clue that was jumping out at her. She sighed and shook her head. It would be much easier if she knew what to look for. She heard Clark calling for her back in the main store room.

"Did you find anything?" He said.

Chloe looked over her shoulder back at the hole in the wall but she didn't turn away from the alter. "Not really." She answered back. "I'll be out in a minute."

Then a sudden flash of light made her turn her attention back to the alter. A flame had erupted from the goblet and was burning brighter with every passing second. Chloe backed a few paces away from the alter as the light from the flame intensified. The shadows around her were dispelled but she felt a sense of dread as the light began to envelop her. She turned on her heal and tried to sprint back toward the hole in the wall and slip back into the main room. However it seemed to her that everything was moving in slow motion. She was willing her body to move faster but it refused to comply. She wanted to call out to Clark and Lex in the room beyond but her voice died in her throat. She turned to look over her shoulder at the light that had now become blinding. It stung her eyes and she shut them tight trying to escape what was happening to her. The momentary distraction caused her to trip and as she hit the floor she found herself washed in the red and yellow light of the fire.

Chloe's eyes fluttered open and her vision cleared. She realized she was lying on the floor of the Main Office of the hospital. It was dark again, though the dim lamp at the center of the room was still illuminated. She looked up to see Lisa leaning over her with a look of deep concern on her face. Chloe stared in disbelief at the woman above her. "Lisa?" She said puzzled.

Lisa sighed in relief and smiled weakly. "Chloe. Good, I thought you would never wake up." She replied.

Chloe sat up and glanced around the room. "How did I get here?" She asked.

Lisa gave Chloe a confused look. "What are you talking about? Don't you remember?" She answered.

Chloe shook her head trying to make sense of what had happened. Lisa's expression changed to a more sympathetic look. "You came in here and I tackled you remember? I thought you were one of those creatures."

Chloe's confusion deepened. "But...I was in the Green Lion a minute ago. I woke up and you were gone. Clark, Lex and I went to the resort area and..." She trailed off as she began to doubt what was real.

Now it was Lisa's turn to shake her head. "Chloe you've been here the whole time." She clarified. "You just passed out, you've been out for a few minutes."

Chloe picked herself up off the floor and Lisa stood up with her. Chloe put her hands to her head and racked her brain to figure out what was going on. The room and Lisa was exactly the way they had been before, but how could she have been here the whole time? Had she dreamed meeting Dahlia again, or finding the Green Lion? In the few moments of intervening silence Chloe became aware of a sound in the distance. Her blood curdled as she realized the sound was the wailing of the siren. But it was softer this time. Instead of invading the room and assaulting her eardrums it droned as if it were at some great distance. Lisa noticed the look on Chloe's face.

"Chloe? What is it?" She inquired.

Chloe turned to look Lisa in the face. "Do you here that?" She asked pointing out one of the windows.

Lisa's expression became worried once more. "I don't hear anything." She answered.

Chloe sighed heavily and started rubbing her temples. "What the fuck is going on?" She whispered to herself.

Lisa put a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked softly.

Chloe huffed and shook her head trying to dispel her mental fog. "I'm fine don't worry about me." She said curtly. There was obviously no way to explain how she had been in the Green Lion one minute and in the hospital the next. But, since she was with Lisa again she decided to make the most of the opportunity. She looked Lisa dead in the face again.

"Lisa can I ask you something?" She started.

Lisa shrugged. "Of course, what is it?" She asked.

"Do you know a woman named Dahlia Gillespie?" Chloe continued.

Lisa thought for a moment and then recognition dawned in her eyes. "Oh yeah that crazy Gillespie lady." She answered. "She's kind famous around here. She doesn't see anybody so I don't know that much about her. There's been a lot of rumors around town that she abuses her daughter so most people try and avoid her."

Something snapped in Chloe's mind. "She has a daughter? Do you know her daughters name?" She asked. Could Alessa be Dahlia's daughter?

Lisa shook her head. "No I can't remember, sorry." She replied. "I remember hearing that she pulled her daughter out of school after because the other kids didn't like her too much. That's about all I know."

Chloe nodded trying to sort out the information. "Well I've seen her, and she said the town is being devoured by darkness. Does that mean anything to you?" She began again.

Lisa leaned back against the desk behind her and looked down at the floor. "Darkness?" She responded. "Yes I think I do."

Chloe gave her a look urging her to continue. Lisa sighed before continuing. "Okay so before they built the resort and the town population started growing, the towns folk here were a little on the quiet side. It seemed that everybody around here followed some kind of weird religion; occult stuff, black magic, things like that."

Chloe's eyes widened in surprise. Black magic? This town was getting stranger by the second.

Lisa continued telling the story. "As new people moved in, the original residents started to withdraw. They became reclusive, and some of the younger members started to move away. After the resort was up and running people started to forget about them. Except for that Gillespie lady. Sometime she would run around town talking all this strange nonsense."

"Like what?" Chloe asked. 

Lisa shrugged again. "I'm not really sure." She answered. "I've never seen her, but some of the other nurses I work with told me it was stuff like, their paradise had been spoiled, and the day of judgment was coming. The last time I heard anything about it was a couple of years ago when several people that had been instrumental in the town's development died in mysterious accidents. People started saying there was some kind of curse."

"It was a cult?" Chloe mused.

Lisa nodded her head from side to side. "I guess you could say that." She replied.

Chloe turned away from Lisa for a moment and stared out the window in the black void outside. She couldn't make sense of anything anymore. She was afraid that she was loosing her grip on reality. She wanted to ask Lisa a few more questions, but the sound of the siren was growing louder. Her heart skipped a beat as she started to feel faint again. There was orange and red light crowding the edges of her vision, and her stomach felt sick. She turned around to look at Lisa again as the siren continued to grow louder. Her eye's grew wide in horror at the site of Lisa engulfed in flames. She screamed out Lisa's name but the volume of the siren downed out the sound of her voice. Then the light of the fire overtook her and she blacked out.

**Second Interlude...**

Chloe found herself floating in a great black void. She was suspended by means she couldn't explain. The void seemed to stretch out all around her seemingly forever. She looked in all directions but she could only see endless blackness around her. Then there was a swirl of images playing in front of her. It was a jumble of images she couldn't make sense of but slowly the images cleared and reformed. She saw Lisa and Dr. Kaufman in the lobby of the hospital. She couldn't hear what they were saying but they seemed to be in the middle of heated argument. She watched as Lisa tried to walk away but Dr. Kaufman grabbed her by the arm tying to pull her back to him. Lisa turned and fiercely shook him off. Even if Chloe couldn't hear what they were saying she clearly saw Lisa's mouth form the words. "Don't touch me!" Lisa got into Dr. Kaufman's face and continued to scream at him but the image dissolved and changed again.

This time she saw Dahlia standing outside a house on what appeared to be the edge of town. The house was a blazing inferno. The fire raged, blowing out the windows of the small house and quickly turning the wood to ashes. Chloe could see strange expression on Dahlia's face that was a mix between delight and fear. Chloe wondered why Dahlia would just stand there and watch the house burn but the image shifted again. Now she watched as Lana, and this time she was sure it was Lana stood on a huge carousel. It turned around and around, as the assortment of wooden painted animals bobbed up and down on their poles. Lana seemed to be enjoying herself as she twirled and danced around the bobbing animals. She had a childlike gleeful look on her face, as if she was a little girl in play. In another instant the carousel changed from innocent and serene into something dark and twisted.

The painted animals that had looked so normal before were now perverse and grotesque versions of their former selves. It became a nighmarish merry-go-round of horror. Lana noticed the sudden change and ceased dancing around. She looked in shock and dismay at the transformation. She hugged herself tightly and began to back off of the carousel. When she turned to step off of it she seemed to notice that Chloe was watching her. Recognition flashed in her eyes and she cast a pleading and sorrowful look at Chloe. She tried to call out to Lana but her mouth refused to form the words. However as Lana stood there cowering she seemed to call out to. Again Chloe couldn't hear what she was trying to say but the word she was forming became clear. Lana screamed out to Chloe over and over again with one single word. "RUN!" Then the image faded back into inky blackness and Chloe's vision went dark.


	15. Brief Respite

Chapter 14 Brief Respite

The sound of bricks being smashed shook Chloe awake. She opened her eyes to see Clark breaking through the wall with his fists. She was lying on the floor of the alter room, her flashlight was lying next to her and she pulled herself into a sitting position just as Clark squatted down next to her. Lex entered after him. While Clark wore a look of concern Lex looked more confused.

"Chloe are you alright?" Clark asked putting a hand on her shoulder.

Chloe turned to look at him. For a moment she wasn't sure if she could believe her eyes. She'd just been in the hospital a second ago. And, then she'd seen those horrible visions of various people around town. Not to mention the disturbing sight of Lana and the carousel. She just sat there silent for a moment. Then she looked over at Lex.

"Have I been here the whole time?" She asked. She desperately hoped that Lex would say no. She hoped that Clark and Lex would tell her that she disappeared for a moment, that she'd simply vanished and then reappeared. However Lex did not give her the answer she was looking for.

"Yeah of course." Lex answered.

Then Clark spoke up. "You said you were coming right out, and then you just went quite. We were calling you but you didn't answer. Finally I just smashed through the wall and we found you lying here." He finished.

Chloe turned to head to look at him again. "How long did you wait before you burst in here?" She asked her tone becoming more desperate.

Clark frowned at her question. "It was just a couple of minutes." He replied.

Lex had wandered toward the alter and was inspecting it for himself. Chloe whipped her head around to see if the fire in the goblet would flare again, but no spectral flames erupted from it. Clark noticed her distress and shook her shoulder to get her attention.

"Chloe what's wrong?" He asked gently.

Chloe turned to look at him again. She wanted to explain the encounter in the hospital with Lisa. She wanted to tell both of them about the visions, but she didn't know where to begin. Her mind was swimming. She knew that Lex wouldn't believe her, and though Clark would be more sympathetic, she couldn't be sure that he would believe her either. She felt the tears coming again. Everything was so confusing, and now she was starting to feel weary. Exhaustion was starting to wear her down. She'd been going non stop since reaching the town, and now she felt like she hadn't slept in weeks. She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She let them flow freely but she forced back a sob.

Clark pulled her into a hug. "Chloe please tell us what happened." He begged.

Chloe pushed herself away from Clark and got to her feet. "Clark I'm afraid I'm losing it." She answered. She wiped away the tears and hugged herself tightly. She felt chilled all over. "I just don't know what's happening to me." She continued. "I feel like nothing makes any sense, and I'm just tired. I'm really tired."

Lex turned back to face the other two. "Look I think we need to find somewhere safe for a while." He said. "We're tired, confused, and we've been through a lot."

Clark stayed close to Chloe. He didn't know what she was going through but it was obvious to him that she needed somewhere to get some rest and regroup. "I think Lex is right." He said to her softly. "Maybe we can find somewhere around here to hide out for a while."

Chloe didn't say anything in response. She felt like the world was spinning out of her control. Finally she sighed and bent down to scoop her flashlight up off the floor. "Okay." She said in a hoarse voice. "Let's get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps." She headed back out the now larger hole in the wall with Clark and Lex following behind her. They made their way through the store room and back to the front door. Chloe noticed as they approached it that the light outside was failing once more. The shadows once more devoured the streets and buildings around them. The shadows descended and they were blanketed again in the eerie black void. The trio exited the shop and stood for a moment on the now pitch black street outside.

"Well we know what this means." Lex said, his tone was distant and detached.

Clark knew that it meant that his powers were once again gone, and Chloe knew that it mean that the world could shift into the otherverse at any moment. However she was simply too tired and careworn to give it any thought at the moment. She turned to look over at Lex.

"Where should we go?" She asked. It was the first time since arriving that she was willing to take her cues from him. After all it had been his suggestion that they hide somewhere.

Lex pointed his beam down the darkened street. "Let's just walk along and see what we find." He suggested.

Clark nodded in agreement. "That's about all we can do right now." He said.

The trio began to advance down the black street ahead of them. Clark and Lex swept their flashlights around searching for any structure that might give them somewhere to reconnoiter. Chloe simply walked along with them but made no effort to help this time. She simply put one foot in front of the other. Her mind was too full of thoughts to aid in the search for shelter. Several minutes into the walk Lex observed that they were coming up on a building that looked to be a motel. As he aimed his beam up at the sign in front of it he saw that is read Norman's Motel. He looked over to his companions. 

"Lets try in there, there's bound to be an empty room that we could hold up in for a while." He said as he stepped over the curb and headed for the front door of the reception office. He opened the screen door and tested the wooden door behind it. It was unlocked and he opened it easily. He entered first with Chloe in next and Clark in last. Lex saw a wall with room numbers, and beneath each room number was a hook with a key hanging on it. He walked over to it and tried to determine which room they should try first.

Clark noticed a registration book on the check in desk. Something compelled him to investigate it. He made his way behind the desk and started flipping through the book. Chloe simply stood where she was. It didn't matter to her which room they ended up in. Her eyes were tired and puffy from crying. The only thing she wanted now was a bed to lie down on, even if only for a few minutes. As Clark flipped through the book something caught his attention. A name jumped out at him from the page he was reading. A Dr. Micheal Kaufman had stayed in the very motel they were standing in. He read the times and dates and noticed that Dr. Kaufman had rented out the room indefinitely. That was strange. Why would a prominent doctor in small town be living out of a motel room. He glanced up and caught Chloe and Lex's attention.

"Dr. Kaufman owns a room here." He stated.

Lex turned away from the wall of keys to look at him. "What? Which room?" He asked a puzzled look on his face.

"Room number 3." Clark answered. "Is there a key for that room?"

Lex turned back the wall of keys and looked. In fact there was a key hanging under the number 3 plate. Lex lifted it off its hook and held it up for Clark to see.

"Yep." He answered.

"Then lets just crash there for a while. Maybe we can find another clue." Clark responded, then glanced at Chloe to make sure she was on board with the idea. Chloe shrugged her acquiescence, she was simply too worn out and confused to disagree.

The trio exited the office of the motel and entered the courtyard that served as the parking lot. They followed the room numbers until they reached the 3rd door. Lex slid the key into the lock and turned it. As they entered the room they noticed that nothing looked out of the ordinary. There were two full sized beds, with a night stand beside each of them. At the far end of the room was a door standing slightly open. The trio could see a small bathroom beyond the door, though they were fairly certain there was no running water. To the right of the beds stood a dresser with an old looking lantern resting on top of it.

Clark walked over the lantern to inspect it. It was old, but it appeared to run on batteries rather than kerosine. He switched it on experimentally and to his surprise it flickered to life casting aside the darkness in the room. Lex remained standing off to the side of the door while Chloe plopped down on the dusty quilt of the nearest bed. Clark turned around to face his companions.

"Chloe." He started getting the blond's attention. "Lie down and get some rest."

Chloe shook her head finally mustering the energy to argue. "Clark we shouldn't be wasting time." She said weakly.

Clark put up a hand to stop her. "Don't argue." He stated calmly. "You've been though enough." He turned his head to look at Lex. "You too Lex." He said pointing to the unoccupied bed.

"What about you?" Lex asked.

"We're going to do this in shifts." Clark explained. "You and Chloe get some sleep, I'll take first watch. Then I'll wake one of you up to take over in a while."

"What if everything shifts into the nightmare while we're asleep?" Lex inquired.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." Chloe answered for Clark as she let her bag drop onto the floor. She slid back onto the quilt and put her head down on the pillow. It smelled of age and dust, but it was soft at least, and Chloe was so exhausted she didn't care.

Lex put both hands on Clark's shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. "If anything happens, you wake me up immediately, you got it?" He said.

Clark nodded and pulled Lex into a hug. They embraced for a moment and Clark laid a kiss on Lex's forehead. "Go on." He said as he released his lover. Lex walked over to the second bed and practically fell onto it. He hadn't realized until that moment just how tired he was, and it only took a few minutes for him to fall into a deep sleep.

Clark sat down on the carpeted floor and leaned against the wall. He sighed heavily as he tried to allow his body to relax. He could see in the dim light of the lantern that Chloe was just lying on the bed but her eyes were still open. She seemed to be staring into space. He couldn't imagine what was going through her mind but he felt he had to talk to her even if only calm her fears.

"It's going to be okay you know." He said softly.

Chloe seemed to snap out of her trance and her eyes glanced over at him. She remained silent so Clark pressed on with his words of comfort.

"We're going to find her, and we're going to figure out what happened here, and then we're going home." He finished.

Chloe propped herself up on her elbows to get into a better position for talking. Though the weariness was hanging heavy on her she found the will to speak. "I don't think we can Clark." She said.

Clark frowned. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Chloe changed the subject without answering his question. "How long do you think we've been gone?" She mused.

Clark's face went blank at her question. It was the first time he had considered something like that. "I...I..." He started but couldn't seem to finished the sentence. He was confused. In truth he had no idea.

"I took a whole day to reach Silent Hill." Chloe began again. "And, we've seen the sun appear and disappear, but we have no idea how much time has passed. It could be hours, days, hell maybe even weeks. But I'm getting the distinct impression that time has no meaning here." She finished.

Clark tilted his head to one side as he tried to make sense of what she was saying. If it in fact had been days or weeks he knew his parents would be out of their minds with worry. And, he was pretty sure that Luthor Corp would have put an official missing persons report out on Lex. It was just too much to process for Clark. "But, that doesn't..." He started but Chloe cut him off.

"Clark you know I'm a stickler for scientific facts." She said. "But, this isn't something that can be explained by radiation or meteor rocks. The things in this town are supernatural, and unless I'm having the biggest wall-of-weird moment of my life; I think we've been pulled into some kind of alternate dimension." She hoped Clark wouldn't immediately dismiss her theory as the machinations of an overly tired imagination.

Clark's eyebrows shot up at Chloe's statement. Alternate dimensions? Supernatural creatures? That didn't sound the rational Chloe he'd known all his life. "Chloe come on." Clark replied narrowing his eyes.

"I'm serious Clark." Chloe countered. "I don't think that we can leave this place. The town won't let us."

"The town won't let us?" Clark asked repeating her last statement.

"Not until we solve it's mysteries, or at the very least until we find Lana." Chloe answered. "Think about it Clark, it's as if she's been guiding us the entire time. If this is the inferno than Lana is our Virgil." It struck her as slightly funny to compare their journey to the Divine Comedy, but she had no other frame of reference.

Clark sat on the floor in silence taking in everything she had said. It did seem that there was some kind of hand directing them from destination to destination.

"I think we have to see this to the end, no matter what the consequences or result." Chloe finished.

Clark sighed again. "We'll figure this out together." He said running his hands through his dark locks. "But for now, sleep, there's no use trying to sort it out now."

Chloe didn't reply, she simply rested her head back on the pillow and shut her eyes. In her mind she prayed that she would slip into a dreamless sleep. She didn't want anymore visions to haunt her. No more images of the town's history, no more sights of Lana, or Dahlia, or Dr. Kaufman, or Lisa, just blissful oblivion. It took a few moment but soon Chloe was adrift in the arms of unconsciousness.

Chloe opened her eyes and squinted as they adjusted to the light still pouring off the lantern on the dresser. She had no way of knowing how long she had been asleep, but she was thankful that if she had dreamed, she could not recall them. She sat up on the bed and looked over at Lex. He was still asleep. Then she looked over to where Clark had been sitting on the floor against the wall. He had his knees drawn up to his chest, and his head was resting on them. It seemed that despite his noble intention to take the first watch, exhaustion had overtaken him as well. She couldn't blame him. Even if the wail of that siren in town had made them pass out on several occasions it was no substitute for actual sleep. She rubbed her eyes and stretched, then swung her legs over the side of the bed. She decided to give Clark a chance to rest of something more comfortable.

Getting up from the bed she walked over where he was sitting and gently tapped his shoulder. Clark's head snapped up and he eyes flew open. He blinked several times before his vision focused on her. "Chloe?" he croaked out. Then he cleared his throat. "How long was I out?" He asked.

She shook her head and shrugged. "Don't worry about it." She replied. "It's my turn." Then she motioned to the bed that Lex was still lying in. "You should get some rest of your own."

Clark looked over to see his boyfriend still snoozing. He gave Chloe a small smile. "Thanks. He said before getting up off the floor. He turned to face her before heading over to curl up next to Lex. "Get us up if something goes wrong." He stated.

Chloe nodded agreement, then Clark quietly made his way over to the second bed and gingerly eased his way onto it. He curled up along side his lover and slung one of his arms over Lex's side. Lex stirred only slightly before drifting back into his slumber. Clark laid his head on the pillow and his eyes slipped shut. Chloe decided to take the opportunity she had been waiting for. She grabbed her bag and moved to sit where Clark had been against the wall. She crossed her legs Indian style and opened the canvas bag. She pulled out the strange Flauros artifact and the Crimson Tome along with it. She was going to try and figure out what each of them had to do with the mystery of Silent Hill and Lana's disappearance.

She held up the Flauros to get the best look at it that she could. It was not much bigger than her clenched fist, and again she could make out tiny scratchings on it's surface that resembled some kind of language. However, as well read and intelligent as she was she couldn't compare it to any other language she had seen before. She also noticed that it had groves running along it that suggested that the entire artifact was made up of interlocking parts. It was almost like a rubix cube, but when she attempted to pull some of the pieces apart or slide them into different positions it failed to accommodate her. She recalled Dahlia's words about it being a cage of peace, and it's ability to counteract the darkness. But, what good would that be if she couldn't figure out how to use it?

She decided to give up on it and set it down beside her. Picking up the Crimson Tome she started flipping through the pages. They had been stained yellow by time and some of them were quite fragile so she had to turn them carefully. There was no table of contents and nothing to direct her as she read, but it seemed to be a mish-mosh of excerpts from various journals along with a strange religious text. Chloe had a hard time making sense of the religious rhetoric. It was like reading the bible. Passage after passage seemed to speak about the existence of god; though she was uncertain which god, and other odd things like the birth of paradise, and the world drowning in fire. As she continued to flip though the pages she came across one of the journal entries. It dated all the way back to 1690. Chloe figured that it must have been written at the time the town was founded.

_March 15th, 1690_

_Our god has finally lead us to our sanctuary. Here we are free from the oppression of those that worship the false one. Now we can set ourselves to the task of opening the way to paradise. The red skinned heathens have been driven away and we can hear the voice of the silent spirits that inhabit these hills. We have decided to name the settlement Silent Hill, in honor of them._

There was no signature to indicate whom had penned the journal entry but Chloe got the feeling that the book had been written by several authors rather then just one. Then the script devolved back into the repetitive ranting about god again. One particular passage was set opposite an illustration that resembled the woodcarving illustrations that she had seen in historical volumes. She didn't know exactly what the picture meant, but it was a group of roughly dawn people standing around a figure that appeared to be female. The female floated above the group her arm stretched out as if she were pointing the way to something. Was this woman their god? Chloe read the passage on the opposing page.

_Remember the old ways, _

_Remember the man that asked for salvation,_

_Remember the woman that asked for joy,_

_We must be obedient,_

_We must serve god with every fiber of our being,_

_Pray to God,_

_Pray to Xuchilbara,_

_Pray to Lobsil Vith,_

_Remember god's promise,_

_We will wait for her return,_

_We will wait for the path to paradise to open._

Chloe was dumbfounded at what she was reading. None of it seemed to be related to any mythology she had ever heard before. She had no idea who this god was, or what paradise meant to whoever wrote the book. She flipped ahead several pages trying to find something that would make sense to her, something that would tie into the journey they were on.

As she flipped she reached the dog-eared page that contained the symbol they had seen at the school courtyard, the one Dahlia had identified. She noticed that in the binding of the book there seemed to be a tear. It seemed that someone had torn a page from the book, probably the page that explained what the symbol meant. Chloe mentally added it up as just one more riddle to solve. If Dahlia had explained that it was the Mark of Samael then maybe Samael was some version of the devil.

She continued on and as she flipped another couple of pages she came across another illustration. This was seemed to be hand drawn and it looked like some kind of plant with long stems, short narrow leaves and large blossoms. The opposite page was titled Aglaophotis. Chloe's curiosity ramped up again and she read the information beneath the title.

_Though we have found use for particular parts of this sacred herb, beware the red juice made from the pressing of the blossoms. It is abomination to god, it has driven the righteous souls out our people must not let the treacherous non-believers make use of it. Use only the seeds and the leaves. They have a useful effect on the infidels, it slows their minds and clouds their sight. Their weakness makes them crave it the way a dying man craves water to cool his tongue. Their greed and predilection will lead them to us, begging for more._

Chloe's memory returned to the stack of files she had seen in the police station. Where they making some kind of drug from this plant? Was it White Claudia? Chloe had to admit that if a cult wanted to operate unmolested in a small town, a trade in a highly addictive drug just might get the right people to keep their mouths shut. But what about the red juice from the blossoms? She kept the book in one hand and reached into her bag for the vile. She pulled it out and looked at it again. Could this be the juice the book was talking about? And did it really have some power of exorcism?

She continued reading but the text became more and more erratic. There was a jumble of passages and images that all seemed to point to some kind of end of the world scenario. There were bits about trials, and darkness, and fire, and a reference to a vessel that would carry god inside it. Chloe wondered if this vessel was supposed to be a human. She finally set the book down certain that she wouldn't be able to glean any further information from it. She sat for several moments lost in her thoughts. She recalled the images of Dr. Kaufman fighting with Lisa. She was almost certain that Lisa was real, but she didn't understand why she had been the only one to meet her. She remembered the vision of Dahlia outside the burning house; had Dahlia left someone inside to burn along with it? Then she recounted the vision of Lana on the horrific carousel; was there an amusement park in Silent Hill? And, if so, is that where Lana had been hiding the whole time?

Chloe's legs felt stiff. Again she had no way of knowing exactly how much time had passed. She could have been sitting there for hours lost in the secrets and riddles of the Crimson Tome. She rose to her feet and allowed the blood to flow back into her legs. She paced quietly back and forth trying to think of what to do. They now had a few more clues to work with but the task of sorting them out would not be simple. In any event, she knew that she couldn't keep all this information to herself for much longer. She decided it was time to wake the boys up and continue the search. If they didn't get back to it soon, the town to slip back into the nightmare before they were able to find anything further.

She hated to disturb them, but there was no alternative. She gently walked over to the bed and put a hand to Clark's shoulder. His instincts must have anticipated being roused suddenly because he woke up quickly and raised his head off the pillow to look at her. "Chloe what is it? Did something happen?" He asked in a hushed tone.

Chloe shook her head. "No, but I think you and Lex need to know what I found." She answered.

Clark nodded and sat upright on the bed. He carefully shook Lex. "Lex wake up." He whispered. Lex groaned softly and his eyelid fluttered open. He inhaled deeply and propped himself up on one elbow. He blinked adjusting to the lanterns light and then spoke. "What's up? Did everything change?" He asked in a groggy voice.

Clark shook his head in response. "No but we need to get up, Chloe's found something." Clark answered.

**Okay, sorry to stop here, but I need to do some brainstorming before writing the next chapter. It's all coming to an end soon and I need to make sure I tie up all the loose ends. Hope you enjoyed and sorry for the delay school is kicking my ass lol. Please review. **


	16. Agendas

Chapter 15 Agendas

Once the boys were up and seated on the bed opposite Chloe she walked back over to her sitting place on the floor and gathered up all the items from her bag. The discoveries she'd made while they were sleeping were too ominous to keep to herself. But, she was afraid that while Clark might be opened minded to the information she was about to share; Lex would most likely to remain the staunch skeptic. Either way she had to tell them about the visions she'd had in the alter room of the Green Lion, and the meeting with Lisa back at the hospital. She sat down on the edge of the unoccupied bed and mentally prepared for a long exposition.

"Okay, before I tell you what I found in the book..." She started, holding up the Crimson Tome. "There's something you guys should know."

Clark and Lex remained silent waiting for her to continue.

"I...I saw Lisa again?" She finished.

Lex narrowed his eyes in confusion, while Clark's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What! When?" Clark asked.

Chloe sighed before starting anew. "When I was in the alter room at the Green Lion. I was looking at the stuff on the alter when this weird fire started and..."

Lex stopped her before she could finish. "What the hell are you talking about?" He asked exasperatedly. "You were only in there a few minutes, and there was no fire, we would have seen it."

Chloe rolled her eyes. Just as she had anticipated Lex was immediately trying to discredit her. "Lex don't start with me." She shot back. "I know what I saw, and further more, I know what I've been seeing the whole time. I wasn't hallucinating, or dreaming, or imagining anything." She concluded. "There was a fire coming from that alter, and then the next thing I knew I was back at the hospital with Lisa. And, she was able to clear up a few things for me."

"Like what?" Clark asked, keeping his tone even so as not to upset her further.

"Like when Dahlia said the town was being devoured by darkness, Lisa knew what that meant." Chloe replied.

However, Lex wasn't having any of it. He spoke up again. "You're trying to tell us that a nurse that may or may not exist clarified the ravings of an old lunatic?" He exclaimed.

This time Clark placed a hand on his shoulder and turned his head to face him. "Lex enough. Let's just hear her out." He said soothingly.

Lex sighed and clammed up. It wasn't worth arguing, not when he was still so tired. He looked to Chloe as if to allow her to continue her explanation.

Chloe took the hint and pressed on. "Lisa said that the people that founded this town were part of some kind of bizarre cult. They were into black magic, ritual sacrifice, that sort of stuff. She was also able to shed some light on our enigmatic Dahlia. Apparently Dahlia had a daughter." She paused to see if the boys were following her so far.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Clark asked.

"Think about it Clark." Chloe started again. "Dahlia's last name is Gillespie. Alessa's last name was Gillespie, I think Alessa could be Dahlia's daughter."

"So what." Lex chimed in. "What does that mean to us?"

Chloe shook her head. "I'm not sure right now but I think if we run into Dahlia again it's worth asking about." She replied. "Also, Lisa said that Dahlia and the other senior residents of the town were always having bad run-in's with the developers of the resort area. She was always condemning them for ruining their paradise." Chloe then reached for the Crimson Tome. "Which lines up with what I found in this." She said handing over the book to Clark with the journal entry open.

Clark took the book from her outstretched hand and inspected it. He skimmed a few words before looking back up at Chloe for her to continue.

"I think this cult may have had something to do with what happened to this town." She started. "Whatever god they worship, or whatever rituals they performed, I think it made Silent Hill the way it is."

Lex still wasn't convinced. "And you think Dahlia is a part of this cult?" He asked.

"That I'm not so sure of." Chloe retorted. "I mean if she was, why would she be so eager to help us? She didn't have to give us clues, and she certainly didn't have to point us in the right direction twice now."

"Unless she's leading us on the road to hell" Lex mumbled.

Chloe ignored him and looked back to Clark. "There's more." She said. "There's an entry in that book about this red fluid." She held up the vile of red juice. "It's called Aglophotis, it's made from a plant that grows around here, the book says it has some kind of power to drive spirits out of a person..."

"...But?" Clark responded sensing that there was a but coming in Chloe's sentence.

"But, I think the locals were using the plant for other reasons." She finished. "I think they were using the plant to manufacture drugs."

Lex couldn't hold his tongue on that one. "Okay wait a minute. Cults, curses, rituals, exorcism, drug trafficking, none of that makes any sense!" He said angrily.

"You think I don't know that!" Chloe shot back. "I know it sounds completely crazy, but like I was telling Clark earlier, this isn't some kind of hoax, or hysteria brought on by toxic chemicals, it's real, it's otherworldly and I'm trying to put the pieces together so sit there and listen quietly."

Lex felt the fight leave him again. He hated feeling so in the dark, but there was obviously no solution to be found in going tit for tat with Chloe.

Clark brought them back to the point at hand. "What makes you say they were manufacturing drugs?" He asked.

"Back at the police station." Chloe clarified. "There was a stack of detective notes. They talked about a drug trade in Silent Hill based on a local plant. And in the book there's a note about how the members of this cult use the same plant to keep the towns people quiet. It makes sense. I mean if a cult wants to operate under the noses of the local police what better way to do it then to make a drug that the town officials can sell to residents."

"Keep the locals high, the police undermined, and the elders have a steady source of income to fund their cult activities." Clark thought out loud.

"Exactly." Chloe nodded in agreement.

"Okay." Lex pipped up again. "Keeping all this in mind, what does it have to do with the town being the way it is?"

"I haven't figured that out yet." Chloe admitted. "But I have this feeling that the fact the cult was left to carry out their agenda unchecked started a chain of events that brought about all this. And, there's one thing more."

Clark and Lex gave her a look that urged her to continue.

"I've been having these...visions." She continued. "Visions of things that must have happened in the town before we got here. I saw Lisa and Dr. Kaufman fighting, then I saw Dahlia standing outside a burning house, then I saw...Lana."

"Are you sure it was Lana?" Clark asked gently.

Chloe rubbed the back of her neck. "Yes, at least, I'm pretty sure, it wasn't like back at the school. She actually looked like herself."

"Where was she?" Lex inquired.

"She was playing on a carousel. I think there's an amusement park here in Silent Hill. Maybe Lana's been there the whole time." She replied. "Look guys, I can't say that I know what any of this means, but we're better off then when we started."

"I don't see why we shouldn't just go back to the car and try to get the hell out here." Lex said, though it was hard to tell if he was talking to Clark and Chloe or to himself.

Taking Lex up on his point Chloe said. "You know we can't do that Lex. Even if we wanted to, this town isn't going to let us leave. One way or another we have to see this drama to its conclusion."

Lex didn't fire back with anything else, so Chloe took it as a cue to get the search going again. "I think we need to get back on the move." She said.

"Where to this time?" Clark asked rising to his feet.

"I think we should keep heading toward the lake." Chloe answered as she gathered up all the items and placed them back into her bag. "If there is an amusement park here it's likely to be nearest the lake." She glanced over her shoulder back to where the boys were standing. "Grab that lantern, might as well take it with us."

Clark walked to the dresser and picked up the lantern from its resting place. When he did so he noticed that it had been concealing an item beneath it. He reached down and plucked a small key from the wooden surface of the dresser. It was different from all the other keys they had found so far. It wasn't a standard office key, nor was it an antique, it had the thick plastic cover on its head that indicated it was a motor key.

"There was a key under it." Clark said turning around to face Lex and Chloe.

"Like the others?" Chloe asked.

"No, this one is different." Clark stated. "It's like a car key or something."

Lex opened his hand and reached out to Clark. "Let me see it." He said. Once he had it in his hand he inspected it more thoroughly. "No it's a motorcycle key."

"So what?" Chloe asked. "We don't know where this motorcycle would be, or if it belongs to Dr. Kaufman, and I don't know about you two but I don't feel like searching for it."

"We may not have to." Lex said pocketing the key. "I saw there was a garage next to the main office, it might be in there, if not then we'll just forget about it."

"It's worth looking into." Clark said heading for the door of the motel room. "We'll head for the lake if we don't find anything." He finished before reaching for the handle. He turned it and opened the door, the light of the lantern spilled out onto the dark pavement beyond. He turned to look over at Lex and Chloe. "Seems clear." He said.

The trio left the motel room behind and walked through the courtyard style parking lot back toward the main office. Once they were standing within Lex made his way to a door that was behind the counter. Testing the lock first and finding it open his turned the knob and stepped into the garage. He swept the beam of his flashlight around and his hope rose as it fell across a stationary motorcycle at the far left corner. He pulled the key from his pocket and moved toward it with Clark and Chloe following behind.

He inserted the key into the ignition and turned. But, just as it had been with the cars back at the entrance to the town there was only a clicking sound that emanated from the silent vehicle. It seemed that whatever had kept the electrical appliances from working had also affected it. Lex sighed. Why would they discover a key only to have it turn out to be worthless. As he gave the cycle another look over he noticed that there was a compartment behind the seat that appeared to be used for storage. It also had to be opened with a key. What the hell, he thought before pulling the key out of the ignition and trying it on the compartment.

The lock clicked and the lid of the compartment opened. Lex reached inside and pulled out a large glass bottle. It looked as if it had been used for alcohol once but now there was some other kind of liquid in it. It was thick and a rich red in color. Lex's brows knit together in confusion as he stared at it. It looked identical to the liquid in the vial that was currently bouncing around in Chloe's bag. He turned to face the others.

"Chloe?" He started. "Is this the same stuff that you have in that vial?" He handed the bottle to her.

Chloe took the bottle in her hands and inspected the viscous fluid within. It indeed seemed to the be the exact same substance as the contents of the vial. "Yes, I think it is." She answered. "I think this is more Aglophotus." Then her eyes narrowed as she tried to think of why someone would be storing so much of it? And if the motorcycle belonged to Dr. Kaufman, why would he need it?

Before she could think more on the puzzling substance in her hands the sound of the door opening behind them caught the trio off guard. The wiped their heads around to see Dr. Kaufman himself standing in the doorway. He appeared to be much the same as they had seen him last time. Only now his face looked even more haggard, and he was wearing a deep scowl of an expression. He seemed really pissed about something. Chloe was about to ask him what he was doing in the garage when Dr. Kaufman stepped aggressively forward and snatched the bottle out of her hands.

"Give me that!" He shouted.

Chloe eyes widened in shock at his act of anger. Then she felt her own agitation rise. She scowled back at him and asked. "What is that stuff?"

Clark and Lex had come to stand close behind her almost as a silent warning to the good doctor not to try any funny business. Lex felt his hand go instinctively to the gun in his back pocket. He was careful not to let Dr. Kaufman see him as he carefully pulled the gun from it's resting place and held it behind his back ready to shoot at any moment.

"That's none of your business!" Dr. Kaufman barked back at the trio.

"Hey, calm down!" Clark exclaimed. "We just want to know what that stuff in the bottle is, and what's really going on in this town." Clark pointed a finger in an accusing manner at the doctor. "You know more than you're telling us."

Dr. Kaufman ignored Clark's righteous outrage and opened his briefcase before slipping the bottle into it. "Instead of worrying about this, maybe you three should be looking for a way out of this town." He shot back. "Besides, don't you have a friend you should be looking for?"

Chloe's expression of anger faded into a look of puzzlement. She couldn't figure out what the doctor's deal was, or why he was so upset, but she was beginning to think he was as looney as Dahlia. "We've tried to find her." Chloe began. "But there's something about this town that keeps us moving all over the place. And just so you know I don't think we could leave this town anyway."

Dr. Kaufman rolled his eyes at her last comment. "Shows what you know." He said sardonically. He turned on his heel and headed back toward the door of the garage. He paused for a moment in the door frame and turned to look back on the trio. "If you don't want to end up dead, keep yourselves out of my affairs." He said coldly before leaving the trio to the silence of the garage.

Chloe found it slightly funny that none of them attempted to stop him before he left. Clark stepped in front of her and looked down at her face. "What do you suppose that was all about?" He asked.

Chloe shrugged and shook her head. "Who the hell knows." She replied. "I'm beginning to think he's as crazy as Dahlia, but whatever, at least now we know what that key was for."

"That was a lot of that stuff that bottle, and didn't you say it has some kind of exorcising power?" Lex asked still standing off to her left side.

She turned her head to look at him. "Yeah, but it all seems a bit too superstitious for a doctor." She answered. "Anyway let's just keep going to the lake." Chloe headed back to the door with Lex and Clark following. "Whatever Dr. Kaufman's up to, we'll just have to leave him to it."

The trio was out of the garage and then walking quickly through the main office they were once again on the black streets of the town. Chloe knew the lake would be directly ahead though in the pitch black darkness she had no way of know just how far away it was. So once again the trio began to journey down the empty and shadowy streets of Silent Hill. But only a few minutes in the walk Clark noticed something shinning in the distance. It was faint, but it was definitely a light. He strained his vision to make sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. The light would flash brightly for a few seconds, then wink out, then shine brightly again.

"Hey guys do you see that light?" He said pointing toward it.

Chloe and Lex looked off into the distance trying to see what Clark was pointing at. Chloe squinted, and in fact she was able to see a light winking in the distance. "What is that?" She asked.

Lex had taken notice of it too. The pattern of the light winking in and out reminded him of something. It was like the light's used on old fashioned lighthouses. "I think it's a lighthouse." He answered her. And if the light was on, that meant someone was up there.

"A lighthouse on a lake?" Chloe asked puzzled. "How big could the lake be?"

"Who knows, but that light mean's someone is tending to it." Lex said looking over at her.

"Then it looks like that's where we're headed." Clark stated before marching forward in the direction of the light. Lex immediately followed after with Chloe close on his heels.

**Okay, sorry it took so long to update it seemed every time I turned around there was homework to do, a test to study for, or a shift to work. I will try not to take too long with the next chapter, but I can't make any promises. Hope you enjoyed it. **


	17. Specters

Chapter 16 Specters

The trio continued along the black streets of Silent Hill in the direction of the winking light in the distance. Not a one of them knew the significance of the lighthouse, but Chloe instinctively knew that it was calling to them. They reached a fork in the road a few minutes later. One direction lead off to the building they were trying to reach, the other continued on into the darkness. Whatever lay beyond in the shadows at the end of the road, it would have to wait. They trio made a detour to follow the path toward the lighthouse. As they walked the pavement gave way to wooden planks, and the gentle sound of water lapping resounded beneath their feet. The road had become a pier. The lighthouse was still several hundred feet away, it's beam still burning brightly.

"This pier must go pretty far out onto the lake." Chloe thought out loud.

"Any idea what we're going to do when we get there?" Lex asked.

Chloe shook her head. "I have a feeling that we won't have to..." She trailed off as she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see that there was a large boat moored to the side of the pier. It seemed to be an industrial ship because it was large enough to have a wheel room, and Chloe could see there was a dim light coming from the window of it. She stopped in her tracks and got Clark and Lex's attention.

"Guys look." She pointed toward the ship.

Clark and Lex stopped to observe what Chloe was pointing at. "There's a light coming from that boat." Clark said coming to a stop beside her.

Lex had stopped on her opposite side and looked over at the other two. "I thought we were headed for the lighthouse?" He asked.

Chloe looked back at Lex. "We will, but it's worth looking into." She stated firmly.

She began walking down the wharf toward the boat with Clark and Lex following after her. There was a gang-plank leading to the lower deck. The lapping of the water could be heard crashing against the hull as she stepped onto the stern. There was a long metal staircase leading to the cab two levels up, and at the top a door leading into the wheel room. Her shoes clanged against the metal of the stairway as she ascended. The boys followed after, Clark first and then Lex bringing up the rear. Upon reaching the top Chloe reached for the knob of the door and turned it. Swinging it open she stepped into the wheel room with the boys close behind. The room was empty save for the steering wheel. A dim bulb burned over their heads, but there was no one else in the small space. There was a door just beyond the wheel leading out to an observation deck.

Chloe was confused again. It seemed to her that they should have found someone here, but there was no sign of anyone. "I guess it's a bust." She said dejectedly. "Might as well head for the lighthouse."

She was about to instruct the boys to turn around and head back out of the wheelhouse when the door on the opposite side opened. A second later the enigmatic proprietor of the Green Lion Antique store entered. Dahlia stepped into the wheelhouse closing the door behind herself. Her bloodshot eyes focused on the trio standing on the other side of the room.

"The demon is awakening, spreading its wings." She stated by way of greeting.

Chloe's eyes narrowed at the demented old woman. "Dahlia. What are you doing here?" She asked.

Dahlia's bare feet stepped a little further into the wheelhouse. She began wringing her hands and a torrent of babbling began to issue forth from her. "Was it not as I said? I see it all now, everything. Hungry for sacrifice, the demon with swallow up the land! I knew this day would come! And what's more, the task is almost finished! The Mark of Samael! When it is completed all is lost! Even in daytime darkness will cover the sun, the dead will walk and martyrs will burn in the fires of hell! Everyone will die!"

Chloe set her jaw and advanced forward. She was not going to stand there and listen to anymore insane raving. "Enough!" She shouted. "You're not making any sense. I've listened to you rant and rave for the last time! You've got a lot of questions to answer!" Chloe pointed an accusing finger at the old woman. "To start with, who is Alessa? Is she your daughter?" Clark and Lex were hanging in the background. Each eager to hear the answer.

Chloe's anger caught the beggar woman by surprise. Dahlia's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed as if Chloe's question had wounded her in some way. "I have no daughter." She said in a volume barely above a whisper. "There is nothing to be gained from accusing me."

Chloe sighed heavily as the anger quickly fizzled out. The frustrations she'd been feeling since arriving in town had gotten the better of her. It was obvious to her that she would need just have to play along with the old lunatic if they were to get anywhere. "So what are we supposed to do?" She asked more evenly.

"It's simple." Dahlia replied. "Stop the demon, the demon taking that girl's form! Stop it before your friend becomes the sacrifice!"

The hairs on the back of Chloe's neck stood on end at Dahlia's last comment. The demon taking the girl's form? Could Dahlia have meant the girl Chloe had been seeing all over town? Maybe it really wasn't Lana she had seen in those visions. Clark and Lex had come to stand behind her also galvanized by Dahlia's words.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Clark asked.

"Make hast to the lighthouse, and to the center of the amusement park. You are the only hope!" Dahlia replied.

Chloe felt a hand on her arm and she turned her head to see Lex had taken a hold of her. "Chloe, we're not going to get anywhere talking to her." He said. "Let's just get to the lighthouse, whatever's going on there might give us another clue."

Chloe hesitated. She wanted to continue interrogating Dahlia, but the rational part of her mind knew he was right. The mad woman had given them tidbits of clues in her raving, however she had proven to be pretty much useless. She looked over to Clark. He simply shrugged as if to indicate that he didn't have a better plan.

"Alright, let's go." Chloe said as Lex released her arm.

They boys turned away from the vagrant woman and headed for the door at the back of the wheelhouse. Dahlia stood motionless as the trio started to take their leave. Chloe stared at Dahlia for a moment longer before turning to follow the boys. Lex was already making his way down the iron stairs with Clark behind him. When Chloe reached the door Dahlia called out to her.

"You will need to use it." She said cryptically.

Chloe turned three quarters to look back at the other woman, her hand still on the handle of the door. "Use what?" She asked her brows knitting together in confusion.

"The Flauros!" Dahlia exclaimed in response. "Only it can stop this."

Chloe didn't know what to make of everything Dahlia had told them. Either the beggar woman was some kind of prophet guiding them on an insane quest; or she was barking mad, and nothing she said would be of any consequence. Chloe couldn't bring herself to say anything further to Dahlia, so she simply turned and exited the wheelhouse. She quickly trotted down the stairs to catch up to Clark and Lex. The trio made their way across the deck to the stern of the ship and then over the gang-plank back onto the pier.

The eerie light from the top of the lighthouse was still blinking on and off. They marched forward directly toward the large tower-like structure that was emerging out of the shadows. Chloe's hand moved absentmindedly into her bag and felt for the Flauros. It was still there. She had no idea how to use it, or for that matter, what it was supposed to do. But, if there was a chance it could help them save Lana, she would have to figure it out in a hurry.

They approached the lighthouse and Clark walked up to the large wrought-iron door and tested the handle. It creaked loudly but clicked to allow the door to be opened. The trio stepped into the interior of the narrow building to see a spiral staircase leading up into the lantern room. It traveled up so far that it disappeared into shadows toward the top. Clark decided to take the lead and began ascending the stairs into the unknown. Chloe followed behind him, with Lex and the rear. Their flashlight beams allowed them to see the steps before their feet, but little else.

Onward they climbed, higher and higher to the cupola of the tower. Just when Chloe was starting to feel like her legs were going to give out from all the climbing, Clark came to a halt. There was a ladder leading straight up before him. Wasting no time he began making his way up it. When he reached the top he noticed a hatch in the roof. He pushed against it but it remained fastened shut. Wishing he still had his super strength he pounded his fist against it. Several hits to the aged wood seemed to shake the hinges loose, because with one good final push the hatch swung open. Clark looked down to where Lex and Chloe stood at the base of the ladder.

"It's now or never." He said before he climbed off the ladder and into the lantern room.

Chloe scurried up after him as quickly as she could, with Lex close on her heels. When the trio had all made it into the lantern room they noticed that there was no flame burning in the center of the room. In fact the room was empty. No torch, no glass windows, just empty space surrounded them. However, despite the lack of a large flame or light bulb, the room was still lit. A strange phosphorus light drifted all around the room, like wisps of fog or vapor. Chloe glanced down at her feet to see a multitude of strange symbols etched all over the floor. The symbols glowed red like the coals of a fire. The was also a gray mist gathering at their feet. Chloe couldn't understand how there had been a light emanating from the tower when there was nothing in the lantern room. She took a few steps forward across the metallic floor, then something on the opposite side of the room caught her eye.

There was a shuffling sound, like the sound of bare feet slapping against the floor and when Chloe swept the beam of her flashlight toward it she saw the figure of a girl cowering against the opposite wall. She squinted trying to get a better look at the girl. Then her eyes widened in surprise.

"Lana!" She called out.

Lex and Clark joined their flashlights to Chloe's. The girl crouched down hugging herself. Her black hair hung wildly around her dirt smudged face. Her clothes were the same as the girl's Chloe had seen back in the school, though they were torn and stained by grime. Her large hazel eyes stared at the trio in fear.

"Lana is that you?" Chloe called out again.

The girl flinched at Chloe's words and trying to back away pressed herself tighter against the wall. She remained silent but her eyes cast a pitiful look at the three companions. Chloe inched closer to her, taking careful steps so as not to frighten the girl further. Upon closer inspection Chloe realized that though the girl looked just like Lana, something about her was foreign. Could this frightened specter really be the friend they had been searching for? Lex and Clark hung back behind Chloe. They too were uncertain if they had found Lana, and neither of them wanted to spook the girl into running away.

Chloe wasn't sure what to do, but something was pulling at the back of her mind. This girl could be the demon Dahlia had warned them about. If in fact this "ghost" was some kind of creature steeling Lana's form, there was no way Chloe was going to let it go without finding out some answers first. "Who are you?" Chloe demanded.

The girl began to shiver violently. Her mouth opened and closed again as if she was trying to speak but no sound issued from her mouth. Chloe felt herself becoming frustrated again. "I said who are you!" She exclaimed more forcefully. "If you're not Lana, then tell me where she is!"

"Chloe, easy, don't scare her away." Clark said in an even tone from behind her.

But Chloe wasn't listening. She was tried of playing games with shadows. She wanted the truth and she wanted it now. "You're that demon aren't you?" Chloe shot at the girl accusingly. "You took our friend and now you're parading around her form!"

"Chloe that's enough!" Lex yelled. He was still hanging several paces back beside Clark, still hestant to move forward.

Something inside Chloe had snapped. Adrenaline had taken over her. She wanted the insane drama to come to an end. She marched forward toward the girl her teeth on edge, and her heart racing. "Tell me where you took Lana or so help me I'll..." Chloe's words trailed off as she became aware of strange light off to her side. She stopped in her tracks and glanced down at her canvas bag.

There was a weird pulsing light glowing through the material of the bag. "What?" She whispered, before reaching into it and pulling out the object that was causing the disturbance. It was the Flauros. It was pulsing with luminescence. The light began to intensify as Chloe held in the palm of her hand. She stared at it trying to determine what had activated it. But, before she could figure it out it floated out of her hand. It began ascending into the air above them. As it did it's interlocking parts began to rotate and realign. The light was getting brighter by the second, and as the shadows were dispelled, Chloe could see the girl's eyes widen in horror. The girl opened her mouth as if to scream but again no sound issued from her. Chloe wanted to rush forward to stop the girl if she tried to run but her feet felt glued to the floor.

Then there was a blinding flash and Chloe felt the whole room shake. She topped off of her feet and slammed into the metal floor. Clark and Lex had also been thrown off balance tumbling down with her. The girl of the other side of the room threw up her arms over her face in a defensive gesture before a beam of blinding light slashed across her light a knife. This time a earsplitting scream escaped her and she crumpled to the floor as if she had been wounded.

Chloe stared at the ceiling as the light enveloped her. She struggled to keep her eyes open but the light was too intense and she began to slip out of consciousness. Lex was sprawled face down on the floor, apparently out for the count. Only Clark managed to keep himself semiconscious as he rolled over onto his side to see what had become of the girl. The brilliant light faded and the eldritch glow of the fog and symbols returned. The Flauros clambered the floor and remained inert. Clark felt dazed but he could see other things moving in the shadows now. Figures began to emerge. They were of various heights but all of them were clad in black robes with hoods that hid their faces. The girl was still cowering on the floor, curled up in the fetal position. Then a voice he recognized began to speak.

"At last Alessa, we meet again." It was a woman's voice. Aged, and low pitched, but Clark recognized it immediately. Dahlia appeared from the darkness and stooped down to peer at the girl on the floor.

Alessa's head shot up at the sound of Dahlia's voice. Her eyes were frantic and panic stricken. She backed away from the beggar woman trying in vain to protect herself. Dahlia's thin line of mouth twisted into a menacing smile. The black clad figures remained at the out rim of the room. They witnessed the exchange but did not interfere.

"You've been a ghastly little pest haven't you girl?" Dahlia's cold gray eyes bore into Alessa's. She reached out a wrinkled hand to snatch the back of Alessa's head by her long black hair. Alessa fought against it, but Dahlia displayed a strength incongruous with her age. Alessa's eyes pleaded with the old woman.

"Mommy?" She said in a child-like voice.

"I was careless thinking you could not escape our power." Dahlia continued, ignoring Alessa's distress. "But mommy didn't know how much you'd grown. That's why I couldn't catch you all by myself. What a pity yes?" Dahlia was speaking to her daughter with a strange mix of fascination and loathing in her voice. "Now we are indebted to these three for leading us to you. A shame they will have to be sacrificed."

Alessa struggled in her mother's grip. She panted in desperation as she tried to free herself. "Mommy please!" She begged.

Dahlia only tightened her grip and took hold of Alessa's arm with free hand. She began dragging Alessa across the floor. "Bad girl, defying your mommy like this!" Dahlia admonished as she pulled Alessa. "Come now, everything is ready, it's time to go home."

Alessa kicked as she was dragged across the floor. Tears streamed down her face as she fought to free herself, but it was useless. "No mommy, no!" She screamed.

Clark had been holding on to his consciousness by a thread during the scene but now he could feel it slipping. He began to feel sick and his vision was narrowing. Before he surrendered to the blackness he saw the hooded figures following Dahlia as she dragged her daughter from the lantern room.

**Third Interlude...**

Chloe senses were slowly returning. She was aware that she was laying on a hard flat surface before she opened her eyes. She was also aware that she couldn't move her arms or legs. She moaned as her eyelids fluttered open. A dim light above her caused her eyes to squint as they adjusted. She turned her head to see that her wrists were bound to the surface she was laying on. Though her neck was stiff she manged to looked down at her feet to see they were also bound. A draft of panic stabbed at her as she summoned her strength. But try as hard as she could, she was unable to free herself. Her eyes were wide with fear now and her breathing hitched. Beyond the dim light of the bulb above her she could see nothing. She had no idea where she was or how she'd come to be there.

"Hello." She called out in a hoarse voice. "Clark...Lex...Anybody."

Then the sound of footsteps alerted her that she was not alone. "Who's there!" She cried. Then a group of robed figures stepped into the light. Chloe saw that they surrounded her on all sides. Their hoods obscured their faces, only black voids were visible behind them. Chloe's heart was racing. She struggled again trying to use every ounce of strength she had left. But it was in vain, the ropes that bound her were too strong.

"Who the fuck are you!?" She screamed in anger. The figures remained silent. Chloe's panic was beginning to turn to rage. "My friends will come looking for me!" She threatened. "If you hurt me they'll..." She stopped mid sentence as one of the black clad figures approached her from the side. He was carrying something in his hands.

Chloe's rage was replaced by panic once more as she beheld the thing the figure was holding. It was hideous. A creature the size of a large slug squirmed in his hands. It was eyeless and without a mouth. It's slime slick body was covered in pulsing veins and it left a tar like resin on the hands of the figure holding it. A blood curdling scream escaped Chloe as the figure moved closer and held the worm-like monstrosity above her. Realizing what the figure intended to do, she quickly clamped her mouth shut and turned her head away.

She felt strong rough hands take hold of the side of her head and force her to look up again. Then another pair took hold of her jaw and wrenched it open. Chloe stared in horror as the figure holding the creature lowered it into her mouth. She desperately tried to fight the grip on her head, but it was vice-like. She choked and sputtered as the worm slid into the back of her mouth. It slithered down into her esophagus causing her windpipe to caught off momentarily. Her whole body convulsed as it continued working it's way down her throat. Chloe felt her head spin and her stomach lurch. She gasped for air and her body was racked with pain. Her head fell back against the hard surface of the table and her eyes looked blankly up into nothing.

**Well, it took longer to update this time then I expected but I hope it was worth the wait. I'm thinking there will only be three more chapters before I finish this out. But, then again it could go on a bit longer it just depends on how strong my muse lasts. Hope you like it and please review. **


	18. The Summoning

Chapter 17: The Summoning

Lex felt someone shaking his shoulder as he struggled to return to the waking world. His eyes fought the urge to remain closed. His eyelids fluttered open and though his vision was foggy he could see the form of his lover Clark Kent hovering over him. He blinked several times to clear his sight and the figure of Clark sharpened. It took a moment for the sound of Clark's voice to properly reach his ears. Clark had been calling his name over and over as he attempted to bring Lex out of his stupor. He felt Clark's powerful hand cup the back of his head and help him sit up. His voice was groggy but he managed to croak out a response.

"Clark...what happened?" He asked. His mind taxed itself trying to recall what had happened in the lantern room before the blinding burst of light.

Clark sighed as he released the back of Lex's head and he squatted down to meet Lex's gaze. "It was Dahlia." He began. "Dahlia was behind it the whole time."

Lex's senses were stabilizing and he stared at Clark intently. "What?" He asked narrowing his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Clark held out his hands to help Lex to his feet. "I managed to stay awake long enough to see what happened." Clark clarified. Once Lex was in a standing position he continued explaining. "Dahlia showed up after the Flauros did that weird light show. She grabbed Alessa and dragged her off."

"So that was Alessa and not Lana?" Lex inquired.

Clark sighed and shook his head. "I'm still not sure. She definitely looked like Lana, but Dahlia called her Alessa. And, Chloe was right Alessa is Dahlia's daughter." He answered.

Lex looked around the room. The Flauros was still laying discarded on the ground. Whatever function it was intended for, apparently it had done its job. He could also see that Chloe was no longer with them. Her canvas bag was laying on the floor close to the Flauros. "Speaking of Chloe...Where is she?" He asked looking back at Clark.

Clark's expression turned to worry. "I don't know." He stated his eyes misting over. "When I came to she was gone. Lex I'm scared, they could have taken her too."

Lex cocked a hairless brow at Clark's statement. "They?" He pressed.

Clark nodded. "Dahlia wasn't alone. There were other people up here too. I couldn't see their faces, they were all wearing black robes and hoods. And, it was hazy, but I could see there were at least twenty or more."

"Do you think they could be other members of the cult in this town?" Lex returned.

Clark shrugged. "It's possible. I don't know Lex. Everything just keeps getting worse, and now Chloe's missing." Clark was struggling to remain calm. Up to now he'd been the voice of reassurance and even temper, but now that his best friend was missing he was having trouble keeping his emotions in check.

Lex reached out and took a hold of Clark by his shoulders. "Calm down Clark, we'll find her." The irony that he was now the level-headed one was not lost on him. And, even if he wasn't close to Chloe, he couldn't stand seeing his lover so upset by the turn of events.

"Lex she could be anywhere, where do we start looking?" Clark said, his tone become more even with Lex's support.

Lex let go of Clark's shoulders and looked down at the floor in thought. He was trying to make sense of everything Clark had told him. There had to be a reason that events were unfolding so meticulously. "Okay let's think a minute." He started. "Dahlia sent us here...so she must have known we would find Lana, Alessa, whoever, but she needed us to lead her."

Clark nodded as he tried to follow Lex's train of thought. Lex continued trying to work things out. "But she also mentioned the Amusement Park. And Chloe said she saw a carousel in her vision. Maybe we need to go to the Amusement Park."

"You mean you think we can find Chloe there?" Clark asked his eyes narrowing in thought.

Lex nodded. "Not just Chloe but Lana too, if she's still alive." He answered.

Clark winced at the mention of the possibility of Lana being dead. "So you think the cult is operating out of the park?" He asked.

"It makes sense." Lex replied. "We not only got a clue from Chloe but one from Dahlia too. And think about it Clark, what better place to hide than in plain sight. Hell they've probably always been using the Amusement Park as a cover."

"Wait." Clark said putting up his hands to get Lex to pay attention to his next point. "There's something else. I heard Dahlia say that we're supposed to be a sacrifice. What if we're headed into a trap?"

"I don't think we have any other choice Clark." Lex stated. "If we don't Chloe could die."

Clark nodded again. He knew Lex was right. Like it or not the Amusement Park was the only clue they had to work with. And powers or no powers, he was not going to let another friend suffer. "Alright then." He said resolutely. He watched Lex walk over to Chloe's discarded bag and hoist it over his shoulder.

"Off we go." Lex said before heading to the exit of the lantern room. Clark followed behind him. He hoped they could get to Chloe in time and bring this living nightmare to an end. They left the Flauros where it lay. Neither of them wanted to see what other kind of damage it could do.

OooOOOoooOOOoooOOO

It took a while for Lex and Clark to reach the Amusement Park after leaving the lighthouse, but they reached it without any further encounters. As they passed beneath the entrance Clark swept the beam from his flashlight up and across the brightly painted archway. A cartoonish sign read Lakeside Amusement Park. The further they ventured into the abandoned park the more Lex and Clark could make out the looming shadows of the forgotten attractions. An antiquated Ferris wheel stood silent off to their right while a Midway with dozens of game booths, now collecting dust, stood to their left. Tattered multicolored flags hanging on thin wire were strung across the dark Midway, and there were time worn, hand painted signs advertizing shows and carnival performers. In Lex's opinion it was the eeriest thing they had come across so far during their explorations. Clark's imagination was running wild with the kind of secrets that were lurking in the shadows of the derelict theme park.

They passed other dilapidated rides as they continued walking into the heart of the amusement park. There was a tilt-a-whirl that was covered with rust and dirt, and when Clark swept the beam of the flashlight out into the dark night he could see the remnants of a wooden roller-coaster in the distance.

"How will we know when we get to the center?" Clark asked but kept his eyes on the way ahead.

Lex squinted in the minimal illumination from their flashlights. "I think there's something coming up." He replied trying to make out the large shadow that stood in their path.

As they approached it they became aware that it was a carousel. It was the largest one that either of them had seen before. A huge canopy tent adorned the top of the circular dais. The obligatory poles descended down through the multitude of animals that remained in their fixed positions. Paint had chipped away to reveal rotting wood beneath the panoply of the disregarded creatures that had once been mounts for fun seeking customers. At its center was a hollowed out column that housed a circular pipe organ. The sight of it actually made Clark shudder a little.

"You think that's the carousel Chloe saw?" He asked looking over at Lex.

"Could be." Lex replied with a shrug. "If it is, it still begs the question; What's the significance?"

Clark frowned in concentration. "Chloe said that she saw Lana playing on it before the world shifted into the nightmare." He began. "Maybe Lana's been hiding here somewhere."

Then Clark noticed something in the shadows under the rusted top the carousel. He squinted trying to discern what he was looking at. He walked a few paces closer and saw that there was a figure sitting on some kind of chair. The figure was slummed over it's head hanging down past its lap. But, as he continued moving closer he saw that the figure had a shock of blond hair. "Chloe?!" He exclaimed bounding forward toward the merry-go-round.

Lex pulled out his revolver as a precautionary before following after him. As Clark jumped up onto the platform he weaved through the wooden animals and stooped down to the blond girl slumped over on the seat of what looked like a wheel chair. He grabbed the girl by the shoulders and pulled her up to his eye level. It was indeed Chloe but she looked the worse for wear. Her eyes were closed and her face was ashen. The blue lines of prominent veins were displayed across her face like a grotesque network. Her hair was drenched with sweat and it also slicked the skin of her body making it difficult for Clark to get a good grip on her.

"Chloe...Chloe it's Clark, wake up!" Clark cried as he tried to rouse he friend from her stupor.

Lex had made his way over to them and was staring at the harrowing image of Chloe with concern. "Is she alright?" He asked his brows knitting together.

Clark looked to his lover with desperation in his eyes. "I don't know, she looks so..."

Then there was a guttural noise that emanated from Chloe's throat. It was a low rumbling growl that made the blood in Clark's veins turn to ice. Chloe's eyes shot open to reveal the irises had turned blood red. Her breath was coming out ragged and labored and her mouth opened in a snarl.

Clark's eyes went wide with horror. "Chloe, what's wrong?" He asked releasing her shoulders.

Chloe didn't answer him. She only growled again and lurched forward attempting to claw at Clark's face. Clark stumbled backward in shock and toppled back onto the platform floor. His face was stuck with an expression of terror as Chloe climbed on top of him snarling and clawing at his face. He threw his hands up in an attempt to shield himself from Chloe's nails. He didn't know what had happened to his best friend but he made no attempt to fight back. There was no way that Chloe was attacking him on purpose.

Lex sprang into action and grabbed Chloe from behind. Summoning all his strength he pulled Chloe off of Clark and tried to wrestle her into submission. "Chloe what the fuck is wrong with you!" He shouted as he tried to control her thrashing.

The screams and bellows coming from Chloe sounded so inhuman as she thrashed in Lex's grip. Her struggling became so violent that when she threw her head back it connected with Lex's face. The blow disoriented Lex and he saw a bright red flash behind his eyes. The blow caused him to let go of Chloe and drop his revolver. He staggered back as the stabbing pain shot through his skull.

In the instant Lex released her Chloe stooped down to grab the revolver from the floor. Then, with an insensate speed, she ran off into the shadows and wooden animals of the carousel. Lex's vision cleared just as Clark took a hold of his arm.

"Clark, what the f..." He began.

"I don't know." Clark answered knowing what his question would be before Lex asked it. "Something must have happened to her."

Lex realized the gun was no longer in his hand. He looked around at his feet and felt a stab of panic in his heart. "Clark I think she has the revolver." He said.

Clark shot Lex a look of fright just as a loud BANG rang out in the night air. Chloe did in fact have the gun and she'd fired it. The gunshot was followed by a metallic CLANG as the bullet ricocheted off the platform of the carousel. Lex and Clark immediately dropped to their knees attempting to avoid getting hit by another shot. The couldn't see Chloe in the shadows beyond their flashlights but it was obvious that Chloe had every intention of killing them.

"Jesus Christ it's like she's possessed or something." Lex said in a hushed tone.

"We need to split up." Clark instructed. We're sitting ducks here, and one of us needs to draw her fire while the other gets the drop on her."

Lex didn't like the sound of Clark's plan but what else could they do. If they remained in their current position it would only be a matter of time till Chloe managed a good shot and they would wind up dead. He nodded his agreement before switching off his flashlight and scurrying away from Clark into the safety of the darkness. Clark dowsed the beam from his own flashlight and sat as still as he could.

He could hear a scuffling sound on the opposite side of the carousel. Hopefully it was Lex trying to find his own hiding spot. But, he could also hear slow foot steps. Wherever Chloe was on the platform she was obviously stalking them. He didn't know if the change that had occurred in her allowed her to see in the dark, but he had to take a chance that she was as blind as they were.

He gingerly slid across the platform on his haunches trying not to make noise, but he boot scrapped against the metal beneath him and Chloe issued a responding growl and another shot rang out in the silence. There was a crash as the bullet collided with one of the wooden horses. The rotting wood blasted apart splintering, and sending saw dust into the air.

"Clark!" Lex called out from somewhere in the darkness. "Are you hit?" Unfortunately Lex's outburst alerted Chloe to his position and a split second later another shot was fired. Luckily, the pitch black shadows were obscuring the maddened Chloe's vision and the shot narrowly missed its target as Lex rolled and pressed himself up against another horse.

Clark desperately tried to think of a solution. Then a thought occurred to him. Lex had said Chloe was acting like she was possessed. He remembered Chloe talking about the Aglophitus, and its supposed ability to drive spirits out of a person's body. He pawed around in the dark close to his feet and felt the fabric of Chloe's canvas bag. Pulling the flap open he reached in and rummaged around until he felt the smooth glass vile in his hand. He clenched it tightly in his palm and called out to Lex.

"Lex! I have an idea." He shouted. BANG, another shot rang out in the night followed by a CLANG as the bullet bounced off the metal platform.

"It better be a good one!" Lex replied. He could hear the slap of Chloe's shoes against metal as she whizzed past him, still unable to see him in the darkness.

"You're not going to like it, but it's the only plan I've got." Clark continued. "When I tell you to I want to you get up behind her, and grab her." He instructed.

There was the sound of growling and snarling as a frustrated Chloe ran around the platform trying to pinpoint the location of the voices in the dark. Lex sighed at Clark's statement. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." He said. And what the hell was to stop her from shooting him square in the chest once he got close enough to her? "You'd better know what the fuck you're doing!" He yelled before getting to his feet.

"Just trust me Lex." Clark assured.

The sound of Lex getting to his feet caused the enraged Chloe to spin around and head in his direction. He knew the only way to make this work was if he could see Chloe. Taking a chance he switched on his flashlight. The second the beam began to shine he tossed it away from him onto the floor. There was a renewed madness in the scream that issued from Chloe as she raced toward the beam of light. She ran at it, gun raised, but stopped short as she realized there was no one holding the torch.

She glanced around her frantically searching for where Lex could be hiding. The beam from the flashlight illuminated her just enough the Lex could see her from his crouched position behind one of the painted horses. He had to time his move just right or he could get his head blown off. As Chloe whipped around and exposed her back to him, he sprang from the shadows and with speed he'd never known he grabbed her from behind and locked his arms around her, pinning her own limbs to her side.

Chloe thrashed wildly in his arms, screaming and snarling like a trapped cougar. In her attempt to free herself she dropped the revolver to the ground, and tried to slam the back of her head into Lex's face. However, Lex had learned his lesson from the first time and moved his head out of the way to prevent Chloe from escaping again. "Clark I've got her, where the hell are you!?" He announced.

Taking his cue Clark leapt to his feet and switched his own flashlight on. Aiming the beam at his best friend, and his lover, he bounded across the platform. As he ran towards them he uncorked the rubber stopper from the vile. When he reached their position he grabbed Chloe's jaw firmly in his free hand. Her teeth gnashed at him trying to bite his fingers but Clark was swift. In a well timed motion he dumped the contents of the vile straight into Chloe's open mouth.

The viscous ruby red liquid poured down into Chloe's throat. Her screams and growling were replaced by coughing and sputtering as the fluid worked its way down her esophagus. Her thrashing was replaced by heaving as her body convulsed. There was a hideous retching sound as her stomach lurched and bile spilled from the corners of her mouth.

Lex held his grip tightly on her as she doubled over and began vomiting onto the metal floor beneath her. She heaved over and over as something worked its way out of her before a final spasm produced a large black slug-like creature that fell out of her mouth. It splashed into the pool of vomit and wriggled like a worm on a hook.

Clark looked down in horror at the slimy organism before anger took hold of him. He brought his foot up and then smashed down hard on it with his boot. It exploded beneath the sole of his shoe and a black fluid splattered the platform. Chloe's convulsions ceased and she hung limply in Lex's arms.

Clark gently grabbed the back of Chloe's head and brought her face up into the beam of the flashlight. He could see that her skin had returned a flushed pink color. The prominent veins were gone and her eyes fluttered open to display blue irises. She coughed several times and gasped for air. Her pupils dilated and she seemed to focus on Clark's face.

"C-Clark..." She said hoarsely.

Lex relaxed his grip on her, now supporting her weight rather than trying to hold her still. Clark sighed in relief. "Chloe it's okay." He said. "You're going to be alright." Lex held her by her arms and got her to steady herself.

"What...what happened?" She asked her eyes still blurry as she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket.

Clark hesitated a moment. He wasn't sure telling his best friend that she'd been temporarily possessed by a slug-like creature was a good idea. Instead he returned with another question. "What's the last thing you remember?" He asked.

Lex had released her completely and she was standing on her own two feet. She put a hand to her head and massaged one of her temples as she tried to recall what had happened after the lighthouse. "I...I was alone. I was in some dark creepy place. And, there were these people in black robes..." She started as she tried to force her foggy mind to work.

Black robes? That caught Clark's attention. He shot a look at Lex, but kept silent to allow Chloe to continue.

"And then they..." Chloe's eyes widened in horror again as she looked down to see the puddle of black resin on the floor. "Oh God!" She cried backing away.

Clark reached out to take a hold of her shoulder. "It's okay." He said calmly. "It's over."

"Clark, how did you know it would work?" Lex asked. He knew that Clark was clever under pressure, but he wasn't sure that he would have come up with a solution like the Aglophitus.

"Know what would work?" Chloe asked before Clark could answer.

"The Aglophitus." Clark clarified. "I poured it down your throat and then you spewed that thing up."

Chloe put a hand to her throat and grimaced at the memory of seeing that hideous thing being lowered to her mouth. "How **did **you know that Clark?" Chloe asked mirroring Lex's question.

Clark shrugged. "Well, I didn't really know it would." He admitted. "But I remembered what you told us you read in the Crimson Tome. You said the Aglophitus could drive out spirits. So, it seemed worth a try."

Chloe wiped her mouth again to remove the last traces of bile that clung to the corners and then wrapped her arms around Clark's torso. She hugged him tightly. "Thank you." She said quietly.

Clark hugged her back. "Anytime." He replied. "But there's something we need to tell you." Chloe released her best friend as he returned her canvas bag. She slung it over he shoulders as Clark continued speaking.

"You said you saw people in black robes?" He asked.

"Yeah." Chloe answered. "I couldn't see their faces but there were a lot of them, all crowded around me."

"I saw them too." Clark said.

"What! Where!" Chloe exclaimed.

"In the lighthouse." Clark replied. "I was able to stay awake for a few minutes after the Flauros did whatever it did. There were lots of them, all around the lantern room. And..." He trailed off.

"And!?" Chloe urged.

"And, Dahlia was there. You were right. Dahlia is Alessa's mother. It was Alessa in the lighthouse." Clark finished.

"Dahlia..." Chloe whispered. Her mind reeled with fresh revelations. Alessa was the girl in the lighthouse. Did that mean that Lana was really dead? "What was Dahlia doing up there?" She pressed.

"Chloe, Dahlia has been behind all of this." Clark began again. "She's the one that's been guiding us all around this town. She was trying to get to Alessa the entire time."

"But...I don't get...why would?" Chloe stammered struggling to understand what was going on.

Before she could say anything else the silence and shadows were dispelled as the carousel suddenly lit up. Dozen's of antiquated lights blinked on. Their twinkled in their multicolored glass cases and an eerie pipe organ began playing a grotesque melody. The trio glanced all around them as lights on the other discarded attractions began lighting up as well. In a matter of seconds the entire amusement park was brought to life. The platform they stood on began to turn. Rotating slowly around and around as the painted horses began bobbing up and down on their poles.

"What's going on?" Lex asked as he grabbed a hold of one of the poles.

Neither Chloe or Clark could muster an answer as the carousel began to pick up speed. It spun faster as the pipe organ music dwindled to be replaced by another sound the trio knew all to well. The terrible sound the siren began to sound again. It grew louder and louder as the carousel spun around and around. Chloe and Clark each grabbed onto the poles nearest them to keep their feet steady. Clark felt a stab of fear as he realized what was going to happen next. He scrunched is eyes shut in anticipation of the pain that would soon rack his head. But after a few seconds he became aware that he was not in any pain.

He opened his eyes to see that none of them were feeling ill or faint. The siren was wailing away in the night but it seemed that it was no longer causing them any pain. Lex looked just as confused as Clark that they were able to stay awake this time. The siren droned on and all around them the world began shifting. The paint peeled off the wooden horses to reveal rotten and decaying wood beneath. The platform transformed into a metal grate and the canopy above them tattered and shred until only the wire frame remained. Chloe continued to cling to one of the poles but her face had taken on a slack almost mask like expression.

After everything she'd seen, everything she'd felt, it seemed she could no longer be phased by the horrors the town was assaulting them with. The carousel spun around faster with each turn and as Clark strained to see what was happened beyond the platform he could see a row of black robed figures surrounding the carousel. They stood motionless watching as the trio turned around over and over.

"It's them!" Clark shouted over the wail of the siren.

Lex looked out to see what Clark was talking about. He felt his blood run cold as he looked out at the line of cult members that were standing just beyond the edge of the carousel platform. "What do you think they..." But Lex couldn't finish his sentence because an instant later the robbed figures erupted into flames. One by one the seemed to ignite, forming a circle of ragging fire around the carousel.

Then there was the sound of metal grinding as if some giant mechanical device was whirring to life. The carousel spun around but as the speed continued to pick up it also seemed to be moving down. The carousel was descending. The ring of fire rose above the trio's line of vision as the carousel sunk beneath the black earth. The wailing of the siren began fading as the machine drove further into the earth.

"What's going on?" Clark asked trying to grasp what was happening.

"We're being summoned." Chloe stated calmly.

The light from the fire winked out as the carousel dipped ground level and the trio were cast back into total darkness.


	19. The Conjuring

Chapter 18: The Conjuring

The trio felt the spinning of the carousel begin to slow. There was the sound of gears grinding against each other as it finally came to a halt. For a few minutes they stood in the pitch black of the underworld, unable to muster courage enough to speak or even to turn on their flashlights. Then one after the other they summed their resolve and switched them on. First Clark, then Lex and finally Chloe. The beams cut through the inky blackness like knives. Chloe swept the beam around trying to determine where the carousel had brought them. Beyond the edge of the platform the beam illuminated black stone walls, craggy and slick with water. The air was cool, moist, smelling of peat and dirt. Chloe had to guess that they had been brought to a cave somewhere beneath the Amusement Park.

"Where do you suppose this is?" Clark asked, following Chloe's example he aimed the beam of his own flashlight in several directions.

"Don't know." Chloe replied evenly. "But I doubt we're going to find a map for it."

"That'd be a first." Lex stated sarcastically.

Chloe lightly snorted at Lex's comment. But, she couldn't bring herself to actually laugh. She let herself wonder if she would ever laugh again after their adventure came to an end. She aimed the beam directly ahead of her and saw that there was a break in the stone walls around them. There appeared to be the mouth of tunnel beyond the platform of the carousel. What else was there to do but go forward? Undaunted by fear Chloe stepped off of the platform and onto the dirt floor of the cave, making a b-line for the mouth of the tunnel.

Clark and Lex, unable to think of any reason to stop her, simply followed after. Chloe strode through the entrance to the tunnel without a seconds pause, with Lex following a few seconds later. But, as Clark neared it by a few paces he swung the beam of the flashlight up and noticed that something had been carved above the entrance. It was written in plain English, though he couldn't help but wonder whom had penned the enigmatic carving, and exactly what it was supposed to mean. It read:

"_Into the fire she swallowed their hate."_

Not wanting to lose the other two Clark quickly stepped through the entrance to catch up. The tunnel continued a good fifty paces before Chloe could make out a large wooden door standing at the opposite end. It looked almost medieval in construction with its iron latch and badly molded wood. She approached the door and reached for the latch to open it. But, she let her hand hover above the handle for a moment. She knew that she couldn't stop; not now, not after having come so far. But, there was some last shred of fear keeping her from pressing the latch down. Lex took notice of her hesitation.

"Chloe, what is it?" He asked.

She sighed and turned to face to her two companions. "Guys, you know that once we go through this door, there's no going back." She said.

"What do you mean?" Clark inquired his brows knitting.

"I can't explain it." Chloe continued. "But, I have this feeling that this is all about to end soon. Whatever lies beyond this door, we can't turn back." She looked both of them level in the eyes. "I need to know you two are with me to the end."

Clark gave her a half smile. It was just like her to bring things into perspective. He'd resigned himself to see things through to the end the moment they set foot in Silent Hill. "You already know I am." He replied.

Chloe looked at Lex, waiting for his response.

Lex grimaced for a split second then he set his jaw and nodded. "Yeah." He said. It was all the response he could muster.

Chloe's eyes cast a look of gratitude before she spun around the grabbed onto the latch of the door. She pressed down and the iron scrapped against itself before releasing. She had to push with the weight of her body, but the door creaked open and the trio were able to step into the room beyond.

The first thing they noticed was that there was light on the opposite side of the door. Not electrical light however. It was the glowing, flickering light of dozens of candles. Their flames burned and shimmied atop their wicks, casting dancing shadows around the room. The second thing they noticed was that the room they were entering was vast.

The ceiling seemed to stretch up far above them. The shadows at the top were so thick that it looked like a starless black sky above their heads. The ceiling rested on large pillars that were constructed of some strange phosphorescent green stone. Between the pillars were rows upon rows of pews carved from the same faintly glowing stone. On the walls of the room were hung an array of rich and quite ornate paintings. On the opposite wall beyond the pews was a dais with a lectern.

"What is this?" Lex asked scanning the room.

"It looks like another church." Clark answered.

"No, no I don't think this is a church." Chloe stated as she began walking down the center isle between the pews. "It's like a temple or something."

"You think this is where the cult practices their worship?" Clark asked trying to gauge what Chloe was thinking.

"Maybe." Chloe said as she switched off her flashlight and turned back to look at the boys. "Just search everywhere." She instructed. "There's bound to be clues." As Clark and Lex began walking to opposite side of the room to investigate Chloe headed for the dais. "There always are." She said under her breath.

Clark walked over to the first of the ornate paintings hanging on the wall. It was actually quite beautiful when he got close enough to see what the subject matter was. It appeared to be oil paint on a canvas and it depicted a man and a woman swathed in white robes. The detail was astounding. It reminded Clark of the great renaissance paintings he'd seen in Art History class.

The man and woman were standing on a rocky cliff with their heads and eyes cast toward the heavens. The woman held a green reed in her hands, freshly cut from a river bed. The man held up a large serpent that coiled about his arms. A brilliantly painted sun shown down on the couple. Clark had no idea what the painting was supposed to mean but he couldn't help but marvel at this thing of beauty in such a horrific place as Silent Hill.

He glanced down the wall to see that the other paintings were just as rich and beautiful. Though, he got the sense that each painting was supposed to represent scenes from a story. Each one seemed to depict an event that must have been significant to the cult. The only thing he could compare it to was, the stations of the cross. He remembered being in church with his parents and seeing the play of the passion of the Christ reenacted at each station. Perhaps this was a similar story. Or, perhaps it was the story of how the cult religion came to be.

Meanwhile Lex was looking at a small shrine on the opposite wall behind a row of taper candles. There was an effigy of a woman standing with her palms turned out while flames burned all around her. The face of the woman showed no fear, instead it was calm, almost peaceful. It was bizarre and yet, Lex couldn't help but stare in fascination at it. Was this woman a saint? Was she god? Or, was she the cults version of the devil? As he continued to inspect the image he noticed that the entire effigy was surrounded by the symbol they had seen on the doors of the elementary school. The series of circles encompassed this woman that stood so cool and collected in the raging inferno.

At the dais, Chloe was looking at the lectern. There was a scroll of parchment laid out on it's surface. It was aged and covered with dust, but Chloe could see that there was script written on it. She carefully brushed the dust, dirt, and debris off of the ancient paper and scanned the words written on it. Her eyes widened in amazement at what she read. She stopped a few sentences in and called out to get the boy's attention. 

"Guys." She called. "I want you to listen to this."

Lex turned away from the shrine and looked over at her. Clark on the other hand couldn't tear himself away from the series of paintings he was inspecting. He simply called back to her over his shoulder.

"Go ahead I'm listening." He said.

Lex nodded at her and Chloe began to read the words written on the parchment in front of her.

"_In the beginning, people  
>had nothing.<em>

_Their bodies ached, and their  
>hearts held nothing but hatred.<em>

_They fought endlessly,  
>but death never came.<em>

_They despaired, stuck in  
>the eternal quagmire.<em>

_A man offered a serpent to the  
>sun and prayed for salvation.<em>

_A woman offered a reed to the  
>sun and asked for joy."<em>

As Chloe read. Clark followed each painting, one by one, seeing the entire history of creation, and the coming of this obscure forgotten god.

_"Feeling pity for the sadness that  
>had overrun the earth, God was<br>born from those two people._

_God made time and divided  
>it into day and night.<em>

_God outlined the road to  
>salvation and gave people joy.<em>

_And God took endless time  
>away from the people.<em>

_God created beings to lead people  
>in obedience to Her.<em>

_The red god, Xuchilbara;  
>the yellow god, Lobsel Vith;<em>

_many gods and angels. _

_Finally,God set out to create Paradise,  
>where people would be happy<br>just by being there._

_But there God's strength ran out,  
>and She collapsed.<em>

_All the world's people grieved this  
>unfortunate event, yet God<br>breathed Her last._

_She returned to the dust,  
>promising to come again.<em>

_So God hasn't been lost._

_We must offer our prayers and  
>not forget our faith.<em>

_We wait in hope for the day when  
>the path to Paradise will be opened."<em>

Chloe finished reading the last line of the text and looked up. Lex was staring at her slightly enthralled by the mysterious tale. Clark actually turned away from the painting and spoke to her. "So what was all that about?" He asked.

"Not sure." Chloe answered. "I guess it's the origin myth of the god this cult worships. One thing's for sure." She continued, placing her hands on the each side of the lectern. "It's not the Christian god."

"It's definitely pagan in origin." Lex stated. "But it's not like any mythology I've ever heard."

"I still don't get what it has to do with Lana." Clark interjected. "I mean, secrets cults, demons, drug trafficking, racketeering, kidnapping; plus a crazy beggar woman and a mentally unstable doctor to boot?"

Chloe couldn't argue with him. Everything they had faced so far was beyond nightmarish, but they still didn't know how Lana tied into all of. Clark continued his rant while she stood and pondered.

"How does a girl from a spit of a town in the middle-of-nowhere Kansas, get mixed up in any of this?" He finished.

Chloe sighed heavily as she tried to connect the string of theories running through her mind. "Okay." She started. "So we've been going on the theory that Lana is still alive and lost somewhere in all this mess. But, the girl I..we saw Dahlia identified as Alessa. So if it's Alessa and not Lana why do they look so much alike?"

"What about the birth mother idea?" Lex asked piping up.

Chloe shook her head. "If Alessa is Lana's birth mother then she wouldn't be a seventeen year old girl, she'd be in her mid thirties at least." She said. She paused for a moment, then the strangest thought popped into her head. "Okay, here me out on this one." She started again. "Have we considered the possibility that Alessa and Lana are the same person?"

Clark and Lex both gaped at her for a moment as if she'd grown another head.

"Chloe what are you talking about?" Lex asked incredulously.

"That doesn't make any sense." Clark added.

"I know it doesn't." Chloe shot back. "But what other explanation is there?"

"Chloe, I appreciate your effort, but it's ludicrous." Lex stated. "From every clue we've found so far, Alessa Gillespie has lived here before this town was cut off. You two have known Lana since she was a little girl; it just doesn't add up."

Chloe sighed and put her elbows on the lectern. She rubbed her eyes as she mentally willed Clark and Lex to understand what she was trying to say. She tried to convince them once more. "I know how it all sounds. But, remember there are supernatural forces at work in this town. Maybe, just maybe, Alessa found a way to escape, and live a normal..." Chloe stopped for a second when she thought about how strange it was to say Lana had ever lived a normal life. "...well anyway, it's the only theory I've got left."

She shifted her weight from her elbows as she straightened back up. In doing so her right elbow caused something on the lectern to CLICK. Before she could inspect it to discover exactly what switch she'd hit, there was a loud scrapping noise that came from behind her. She wheeled around to see the stone wall behind the dais was sliding open.

Clark and Lex bounded up to stand beside her on the dais in anticipation of what they would see beyond the wall. As the mechanism ground to a halt the trio beheld another tunnel as black as pitch. A cold blast of wind hit them sending shivers down Chloe's spine and rustling her and Clark's hair. Chloe felt her nerves going into overdrive. What this it at last? Would all there questions finally be answered in whatever lie beyond this temple? The only way to know was to venture on.

"You know what we have to do." Chloe said.

She looked to Clark first and then to Lex. She could see that there was fear in their eyes, but she knew that they had promised to follow her to the end. Switching her flashlight back on she slowly adavanced forward. Clark and Lex followed suit with their own torches, then they each took up a position at her side and together the three of them disappeared into the void of the tunnel.


	20. A stir of echos

Chapter 19: A stir of echos

The trio advanced through the darkness of the tunnel that lay beyond the temple. The beams of their flashlights could only illuminate a few feet ahead of them because the darkness was so thick it was like a great black velvet veil had been thrown before them. The ground beneath their feet had given way from dirt to the metallic grate that had been a trademark of the nightmare version of the town. The crunching sound of their shoes had turned to clicking and clanging against it. The supreme darkness was starting to disorient them. They no longer knew if they were in a cramped tunnel or a wide open room, but still they ventured on. They swept the light from the torches around but could see no walls, or anything beyond the thickness of the dark.

A few more minutes of walking and Lex chose to speak up. "What are we supposed to be looking for?" He asked.

Chloe shook her head. "I don't know." She answered honestly. "But I have a feeling that something will..." She trailed off as a strange multicolored light began to dispel the darkness. The trio halted their steps and started to huddle together back to back as the light swirled around them.

"What's going on?" Clark asked as he watched the swirling light. But neither Lex nor Chloe could answer him. They too were uncertain of exactly what was happening. The light circled them faster and began to reform. The light began to form images that were jumbled together.

"Maybe we should.." Lex began, but Chloe cut him off before he could finish.

"Shhh." She instructed. "Just keep still."

Then the progression slowed and like a panoramic screen it began to show the trio fully formed images. They played like holographic illusions against the pitch black darkness.

The first scene splayed before them was of a classroom. Dozens of children in old fashioned school uniforms were gathered together around another student, gang like. The children were screaming and throwing things at a small dark-haired girl in the center of the circle. The small frightened child in the middle of the vicious gang of children had her arms thrown over her head in effort to protect herself from the objects the other children were hurling at her. There was a dull roaring in the chamber that slowly grew more clear. The trio could here that the children were taunting the unfortunate victim, and chanting the word "witch!" over and over again.

Chloe felt her heart ache for the little girl that had been the victim of the malicious assault.

The image changed to show the same girl running out of the classroom and into the arms of a woman waiting outside the school. The woman had the same dark hair but her face was very aged, with many deep lines and creases. Clark's eyes widened with recognition. The woman scooping the crying child into her arms was Dahlia.

The child wept into the arms of her mother, her small voice sounding utterly alone and piteous. "Mommy, they all hate me." The girl said between sobs.

"Never mind them Alessa." The woman responded stroking the girls hair. Her cold gray eyes stared at the school with pure contempt and hatred. "They matter not to people like us." Dahlia continued. Then Dahlia's sympathy seemed to change to annoyance at Alessa's unhappiness. She grabbed both of Alessa's arms and looked sternly into the little girls face. "Stop your sniveling girl!" She said forcefully.

"Come, from now on you'll stay home with mommy."

The images changed and reformed. Now they showed the office of Dr. Kaufman. The chief physician was seated at his desk with Dahlia sitting on the opposite side. The two figures appeared to be in the middle of heated discussion.

"The police were here asking questions." He stated angrily at the gypsy woman. "How long do you think it will take them to figure out that your little cult is fueling the drug trade in this town? I'm not going to take the fall for you!"

Dahlia smirked at his outrage. "Calm yourself good doctor, those fools are no closer to discovering our little secret anymore then they are to discovering you are among our ranks." She said calmly, relaxing back into the plush leather chair. "If you are looking for a wretched soul to offer up in sacrifice, look no further than that impudent nurse that is always following in your wake."

Dr. Kaufman flinched at her suggestion. The old woman was referring to Lisa, the Admissions nurse for the E.R. She was efficient, but weak willed. The doctor suspected that, in spite of the young woman's keen mind and sympathetic nature, she was currently addicted to the very drug that the Order was peddling in town. Still, she was a commodity to his staff. "No." Dr. Kaufman responded. "Lisa is too valuable to me."

Dahlia rolled her eyes at the doctors small display of affection for the blond infidel. "It is inconsequential to me but, we need to accelerate the plan. Alessa's powers grow day by day, and soon I fear I will no longer be able to control her."

Dr. Kaufman's anger subsided slightly but he continued to stare at Dahlia with cold contempt. "If you can't keep that little witch in line, then everything we've been working toward will start to fall apart. I haven't risked my life and license for the false promises of some lunatic."

Dahlia actually let out a sardonic laugh at the Dr.'s statement. "Lunatic you say." She continued. "And you must think me witless as well?" Dahlia rose from the chair and narrowed her eyes at the Dr. "Worry yourself not, the time of paradise is nigh. Alessa will bring God back into this world and we will all reap the rewards." She turned to leave but just as she reached the door Dr. Kaufman called after her.

"You'd better be sure." He said. "I've got my own contingency in place if this doesn't work."

Dahlia spun around and her eyes flashed with rage at Dr. Kaufman's statement. "You would not dare use Aglophitus!" She shrieked. She took several steps toward the desk. "You know not what you are playing with little man. Leave matters of the spirit to us. You do as you are told, or the fires of hell will swallow you alive." She placed the palms of her hands against her chest. "Only though me can you find salvation, never forget that!" She then turned on her heel and quickly exited the Dr.'s office.

The scenes changed again. Now it showed Dahlia and Alessa in what the trio could only assume was their home. The sight they beheld unnerved all of them as they witnessed Dahlia dragging Alessa by her arms down the wooden floors of their home.

"Come on girl, come on!" Dahlia shouted as she hauled the small body of Alessa across the floor.

The girl struggled against her mother trying to break free. "No, I don't want to do it!" She protested.

"Stop being a bad girl Alessa!" Dahlia said. "Now come on, it will may everyone happy, and it's for your own good too."

"No mommy, please, I just want to be with you, just the two of us." Alessa pleaded. "Don't you understand?"

Something seemed to register in Dahlia's eyes. She ceased dragging Alessa and released the girls arms. Alessa sat on the floor looking up at her mother with sad, mournful eyes. Dahlia stared off into space for a moment lost in thought. Then she turned her manic eyes back on her daughter.

"Why didn't I see this before?" She asked, but it was plain that she was asking herself and not the miserable girl on the floor. "I've been wrong this whole time. There's no need to wait." She turned from Alessa and returned to staring at nothing. "Here in lies the mother's womb. To obtain the power to create life." Then she let out a small sardonic laugh. "I could have done it all myself."

Alessa's small voice returned her mother's attention to the situation at hand. "Mommy?" She said softly.

Dahlia shot her daughter a savage look. "Go to your room Alessa!" She screamed. "And don't come out till I come for you."

Tears ran down the rosy cheeks of the little girl still sitting on the floor. She sniffled and got up from her position. "Yes mommy." She replied sadly. She slipped past her mother and through a door at the end of the hall.

Chloe had to suppress her own tears as she felt her heart break for this poor little girl. What kind of monster would treat her own daughter this way?

The last thing the trio saw before images changed again, was a look of madness overcoming Dahlia. Then in a flash the images changed again. This was an image Chloe had seen before. Dahlia stood outside her home as a fire ravaged the small house. Dahlia's expression was fixed with a look somewhere between fascination and revulsion. Only this time the trio could hear screaming coming from within the house. The voice of a terrified little girl cried out over and over again. "Mommy! Mommy!"

Chloe felt her blood run cold as the screaming became unintelligible and full of pain. Then it went silent. That bitch had left her own daughter to burn alive in that house. She couldn't hold back a shudder. Clark's eyes were wide with shock and Lex had to look away from the horrifying scene.

The sound of fire truck sirens could be heard and a fireman rushed into the scene. He looked from Dahlia and then back at the blazing house. "Ma'am, is anyone in there?" He asked. Dahlia didn't answer him, she just stood there staring at the inferno. "Ma'am? Ma'am?" The fireman asked again trying to break the woman from her trance. Then his head whipped around to look at the house again as the screaming Alessa resumed. "Oh Jesus!" He exclaimed as he motioned to the rest of the fire crew. "Someone is still in there." He shouted. The scene was beginning to dissolve again as the fire fighters rushed into the burning house.

The next scene showed Dahlia in the office of Dr. Kaufman again. She sat wringing her hands in the chair opposite him. Dr. Kaufman looked furious. "What the fuck Dahlia!" He bellowed slamming his fist on the surface of the desk. "This is not what we planned! What the fuck were you thinking!?"

Dahlia's head snapped up to meet the Dr.'s gaze. "I did what had to be done!" She screamed back at him. "The girl had to be purified by fire to bring about the return of GOD!"

"You stupid old gypsy!" Dr. Kaufman started again. "Do you realized that stunt you pulled has ruined everything!? That fire you started is raging out of control. If the fire fighters can't stop it, it's going to spread to the coal mines. Once that happens this whole town is fucked!" He pointed his finger directly at the beggar woman. "And so are all our plans, you'd better start explaining yourself right now!"

Dahlia's eyes flashed with rage and she leaped to her feet. "Enough!" She replied. "I'll not sit here and allow you to accuse me of blasphemy. Everything is still going according to plan. Sheltered in the womb God grows, strong, and powerful."

Dr. Kaufman's ire did not abate, but he continued pressing her for information. "What do you mean? Alessa's badly burned and probably won't survive the night." He said. "You mean we can still make this work?"

"Yes." Dahlia said hesitantly. "But, we have another problem at hand."

"Problem?!" Dr. Kaufman bellowed again. "What now?"

"The trial by fire has awakened God within Alessa, but that girl has become more powerful than I expected." Dahlia explained. "The little witch has split her soul in two. She's sent a part of herself away from Silent hill, to the world beyond. Even now as the darkness closes around us; a piece of her soul has escaped our grasp."

"GOD DAMN IT DAHLIA!" Dr. Kaufman had become livid. "This is not what we agreed to!"

"Never fear good Dr." Dahlia replied, her voice as even and calm as still water. "The pact shall not be broken. Paradise will come, and we will all live in splendor, you'll get the power you were promised."

Dr. Kaufman sunk back down into his chair and placed his head in his hands. "How?" He asked, his voice returning to normal tone.

"We will use the sacred rites to call the soul back. Feeling the pain and anguish of its other half, it is sure to return." Dahlia answered.

"And how long will that take?" Dr. Kaufman inquired looking up at the gypsy woman.

"All in good time Dr." She replied. "Let me attend to this. You keep order in this retched town."

Chloe couldn't believe it. Dahlia, Dr. Kaufman, and god only knows how many other members of the town had been a part of a diabolical plot from the beginning. They had tortured an innocent girl and brought about a curse on a town that both they and Lana were suffering from. It was almost too much to take in. Then the scenes changed again. Now it was night. Heavy rain was falling as a small shadowy figure carried a squirming, mewling bundle in its arms. It walked through the rot-iron gate of a building who's sign read Taluca County Orphanage. It deposited the bundle at the door step and knocked loudly three times before fleeing into the darkness of the night. A heartbeat later the door opened and a nun in full habit stooped down to pick up the squealing babe and take it into the orphanage.

A massive revelation hit Chloe at that moment. That baby the shadow figure had been carrying must have been Lana. If Lana and Alessa were the same person. Then Lana was the part of Alessa's soul that managed to escape Silent Hill. Alessa had used whatever power she had left after being burned by the fire to create a perfect, new life free from all her pain and torment. That life was the baby Lana, taken to the orphanage and then later adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Lang. So that meant Dahlia or someone had been the one to send the adoption papers to Lana to get her to come back to Silent Hill.

The images dissolved again and rearranged to show Lisa, the nurse Chloe had encountered twice now. "That's her!" Chloe exclaimed, pointing to the display of specters in front of the trio. "That nurse I told you about." She glanced over her shoulder at Lex. "Told you she was real."

Lex remained silent, but mentally noted to apologize to Chloe later. Lisa was standing in the small break room of the hospital staring out the window at the red glow over the houses and buildings of Silent Hill. Her expression was that of fear and desperation. Her bloodshot eyes had dark circles around them. The trio watched as she rummaged through the pocket of her lab coat, then pulled out a non-labeled prescription bottle. She fumbled with the top before managing to remove it. Then she deftly spilled two white pills into her palm and swallowed them whole.

The sudden opening of the door behind her startled her out of her trance and she hurriedly stuffed the pill bottle back into her lab coat. Turing she saw Dr. Kaufman enter the room.

"Micheal!" She cried, rushing toward him. "Have you seen what's happening out there!?" She stopped a few paces in front of the doctor. "The fire, it's raging out of control. The whole town is going to burn down, why aren't we evacuating the..."

Dr. Kaufman shot her a stern look and held up a hand to silence her. "That's enough Lisa." He replied, his voice cold and steely. Shock registered in Lisa's face. Dr. Kaufman had never been so terse with her before. "The hospital will remain open." He continued. "We can't just abandon the place, besides the E.R. Is being flooded with admissions."

Dr. Kaufman slipped past Lisa to stand by the window. "We need to tend to the resident's that have sustained burns." He turned back to look at his employee. "And, I need you to do your job." Lisa felt a chill run down her spine as Dr. Kaufman slowly closed the gap between them. His gaze remained fixed on hers. "There is a patient that was just admitted; a very severely injured girl. I need you to start treating her immediately."

Lisa's eyes narrowed in a moment of confusion. "But I'm not a floor nurse you know that Michael." She tried to protest. She'd been working admissions ever since Dr. Kaufman had started taking a shine to her. She'd used it to her advantage to take on a less stressful position in the hospital. But when the Dr. wheeled around and flashed her a look of anger she immediately quieted again.

"Are you arguing with a superior, Ms. Garland?" Dr. Kaufman asked, his tone growing darker.

Lisa flinched at his question. Ms. Garland? He hadn't referred to her by her last name since she'd been a new graduate years ago. She tried to remain composed but her voice shook a little. "No sir." She answered. She quickly wiped a tear from her cheek. "Where...where is the girl?"

Dr. Kaufman motioned for Lisa to follow him as he exited the break room. Once they were in the hallway they weaved around dozens of residents and nurses that had flooded the small hospital. The meager staff was working feverishly to cope with the demands of the crisis at hand. At the end of the hallway Dr. Kaufman opened the door to the basement. Lisa shot him a look of confusion, but he ignored her and started descending the stairs. Unable to argue with her boss; Lisa followed after him.

Once they were in the basement Dr. Kaufman lead the frightened looking nurse into the back storage room. Lisa looked around still confused as to why they were in the basement when he had asked her to look after a specific patient. "Dr. Kaufman, why are we..." She started, but the sound of metal scraping the floor cut her off. She watched the Dr. move one of the storage shelves away from the wall. Beneath the shelve was a hinged door that Lisa had never seen before. A moment later the Dr. had unlatched the lock and swung the door open.

"Down here." He instructed before heading down another flight of stairs.

Lisa felt a shiver overtake her as she followed the Dr. down into the bowels of the hospital. At the end of the flight of stairs they reached the secret area of the hospital the trio had been exploring only hours ago. Dr. Kaufman opened the large metal door at the end of the hallway and quickly ushered Lisa inside the room beyond. Lisa's eyes adjusted slowly to the dim lights inside the room but once she could see clearly again she saw a hospital bed in the center of the otherwise empty room. A ventilation tent had been constructed around the bed and mechanical whizzing of the machine was echoing all around the room. An IV on its accompanying pole hung above the ventilation tent. Lisa looked to Dr. Kaufman waiting for further instructions.

"In there." Dr. Kaufman said flatly, pointing to the ventilation tent.

Lisa's brows knit together in worry as she slowly advanced toward the hospital bed. A plastic window in the white tarp of the tent allowed nursing staff to look in and observe the patient during treatment. Lisa gingerly stepped up to the window and peaked inside. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight she beheld lying on the hospital bed inside the tent. She gasped and recoiled from the sight. She turned to look at the Dr. eyes still wide with fright and her breath coming out shallow.

"No...please Michael, no!" She cried. "You can't, please, someone else, anyone else!"

Dr. Kaufman's face twisted into a snarl as he rushed up to Lisa and grabbed her by the arms. "Yes you will Ms. Garland." He said his voice so even in tone it only added to Lisa's fear. His hands dug into the tender flesh of Lisa's arms. She squirmed under his grip but he only tightened it as she struggled. Tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.

"Micheal your hurting me please, I can't do this. Look at her, shes...shes..." Lisa sobbed.

Dr. Kaufman shook Lisa violently, and the fragile nurse silenced herself instantly. "She's a victim, and a little girl." Dr. Kaufman stated. "And you are a nurse that is going to do your goddamned job."

He released his vice-like grip on her arms and she quickly took a few steps back from him. "No, I won't, I'll...I'll quit!" She spat out.

"Oh really?" Dr. Kaufman fired back. "And if you quit, how will you get your hands on those little white pills you think I don't know about?"

Lisa's expression became even more miserable. Somehow Dr. Kaufman had discovered her dirty little secret. "Michael why are you doing this to me?" She sobbed again.

"Listen to me carefully Ms. Garland." Dr. Kaufman began. "You will stay here and do your job, and attend to this girl. If you even think about leaving, not only will I turn you in for possession of illegal substances, I will make sure you never work in the field of nursing again." The look in his eyes was so detached, so inhuman that Lisa realized she had no choice but to comply.

"Yes Dr. Kaufman." She said quietly wiping away tears.

Chloe felt anger flaring up inside her. First Dahlia had burned poor Alessa alive, and now Dr. Kaufman had blackmailed Lisa into doing his biding. Those two had brought so much misery and pain on the people of Silent Hill. Deep in the back of her mind, Chloe hoped both of them would get what they deserved.

Another set of images appeared, this time showing Dahlia in the strange glowing room of the temple they had just exited. She was kneeling before the alter her hands folded in prayer. Her mouth was working furiously as a torrent of whispers flowed from her. Her voice was too low to determine what she was saying. Her brow furrowed as her concentration deepened. Then a loud bang broke her trance as someone slammed the wooden door at the opposite end of the temple. Dr. Kaufman walked through the isle between the rows of pews toward Dahlia.

"Dahlia, what the hell is going on out there?" He asked as she stopped halfway to the alter. "People are disappearing, the fires are still burning, and there's a fog surrounding the entire town. Total darkness has been coming and going. Ashes are raining down for Christ's sake! Was all this part of your plan!?"

Dahlia turned her head to look over her shoulder at the Dr. "Things are happening faster than expected. God needs more time, time to be nurtured. Ah, but time; time is flowing wrong, twisting and bending. We...we must offer a sacrifice to hasten the lost soul's return."

"What sacrifice?" Dr. Kaufman asked.

Dahlia rose to her feet and turned to face the Dr. "A life must be offered up. An innocent, or at least innocent enough." She gave him a knowing look.

Dr. Kaufman looked confused at first before he caught Dahlia's meaning. "Very well." He said looking down at the floor.

Dahlia smiled cruelly. "Go then good Dr. bring the lamb to slaughter."

The scene changed again. Now Lisa, looking much harrowed and exhausted, sat in a dimly lit room of the hospital a video camera was opposite her, its red recording light blinking as she leaned over the table. Her blond hair fell around her face casting it in shadow. She voice was tired and desperate as she spoke. "What is it? Still has an usually high fever. Eyes don't open. Still getting a pulse but barely. Bandages soaked with puss. I can't do this anymore. Why? What is keeping that child alive?"

A noise outside the room startled her. She jumped up from the table and switched off the camera. Straightening out her hair and lab coat she put her nurses cap back on and exited the room. She saw Dr. Kaufman headed down the hall toward her. Her tired eyes were suddenly angry at the sight of the man she had once so admired. As he approached her he reached out to grab her arm.

"Lisa, you need to come with me." He stated authoritatively.

But Lisa jerked her arm violently away from him. "NO!" She shouted. "Get your hands off me!"

Her anger caught the Dr. by surprise and he backed away a few paces. Lisa took it as a sign to continue letting the Dr. have it. "I'm not going anywhere with you Michael. I'm leaving, and don't you dare try to stop me!" she turned on her heel and started heading toward the entrance.

Dr. Kaufman, realizing his prey was about to slip though his fingers, followed after her. "Lisa you can't leave. I told you what would happen if you do." He threatened.

Lisa whirled back to face him again. "I don't care what you do, or what you say!" She screamed. "Things are getting worse around here. People are disappearing; patients are vanishing right out of their rooms. Hundreds are dead and the fires are still burning. There are ashes raining down from the sky on the streets. I've seen the sun come and go in only a few hours. And the fog, that damn fog, it's everywhere!" Lisa's bloodshot eyes were rimmed with such dark circles that they looked like they too were on fire. "I've had enough Michael, I'm leaving town." She turned again, this time determined to leave.

Dr. Kaufman set his jaw and narrowed his eyes. "I'm sorry Lisa, but I can't let you leave." He stated, his voice so menacing that it actually stopped Lisa in her tracks.

She turned her head to look back at him. Her brows creased in worry. "What?" She whispered.

The sound of the front door opening turned Lisa's attention back to the entrance. A group of people in black robes had entered the lobby. Lisa's eyes went wide with fear again. The black clad strangers advanced into the hallway heading straight for her. She turned to run in the opposite direction but Dr. Kaufman blocked her path, and behind him were more strangers in black robes.

Lisa opened her mouth to scream for help but one of the intruders hand come up behind her fast and clamped his hand over her mouth. She struggled in his grasp but two more members came up along side her and took hold of her. They dragged the thrashing and flailing nurse down the hall into an empty examination room. Dr. Kaufman followed close behind them. As he walked he pulled a sharp dagger from a pocket of his trousers. The door closed behind the Dr. as he entered the room after the black clad strangers. A second later a muffled cry emanated from behind the door.

Chloe had to fight the urge to cry out in horror and rage at the scene that had played before them. That son-of-a-bitch had killed Lisa. Sacrificed her, like an animal all to bring about the insane plans of that crazy gypsy woman. Chloe wanted him and Dahlia punished. But if they didn't figure out how to bring all this to an end then it was hopeless. The images dissipated, and faded back into darkness. Whatever force had been showing the trio the events that had transpired before they had arrived in town, had obviously determined that they had seen enough. The trio stood in silence. Each of their minds were reeling. But for the moment none of them could find the will to speak

**Okay long time no update I know, but this chapter took a lot longer than I thought to plan out. So I know there will be at least two more chapters before an Epilogue. It might be only one though if I don't have to fit in too much exposition. Please review. **


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